Category: Bio

Jimmy “Jim” Gage
May 1, 1942 – August 6, 2017

The funeral services celebrating the life of Jim Gage 75, of Enid will be held 2:00 P.M. Tuesday August 8, 2017 in Brown-Cummings Funeral Home Chapel with Pastor Mark McAdow officiating. Burial will follow in Memorial Park Cemetery. Services are under the direction of Brown-Cummings Funeral Home.

Jim Gage passed away August 6, 2017 after a long battle with Lymphoma And related illnesses. He was Born May 1,1942 in Enid Oklahoma to Leon and Avis Gage. Jim attended the University of Oklahoma and Phillips University. In the sixties he traveled throughout Oklahoma, Kansas, and Texas revamping the telephone systems. Jim took a liking to Carnegie, Ok and settled down there. He was an avid outdoorsman and enjoyed fishing with his buddies. In his younger days, he loved to take his dog, Rusty, and go hunting.

In his retirement years, he enjoyed daily coffee hours with his friends, and an occasional game of dominoes.

Jim was a faithful son, he drove from Carnegie to Enid every weekend for three years to care for his parents during their last years. He will be fondly missed by his family and friends. He is survived by his sister; Barbara Gage Horn and husband David, brother Ed Gage and his wife Laney, six nieces and nephews, eleven great nieces and nephews, and many very close and loyal friends in Carnegie, Oklahoma where he has resided for the past forty years. Jim was preceded in death by his parents.

Jerry Edward Nichols, 78 of Enid, Oklahoma passed away on January 28th, 2021.
Jerry graduated from Enid High School and Phillips University in Enid, OK. He worked for Grace Petroleum in Oklahoma City before joining Hunt Oil Company in Dallas Texas as a Director of Information Technology until his retirement. In his younger years, he was somewhat of a daredevil.He caught his backyard treehouse on fire while smoking catalpa beans.Also, while doing a science project in his parent’s garage, he blew it up. He was a compassionate person, for instance he helped build St. Luke’s Methodist Church in Enid, OK.
He enjoyed riding motorcycles, cooking, reading, and bowling.He was an avid sports fan. His favorite teams were OU, Dallas Cowboys, & Texas Rangers. Preceded in death by: Parents, Arthur and Grace Nichols; sisters, Ginger Rieger, Betty Nichols , & JoanPetersen.
Survived by: Son, Bryan Nichols and wife, Shannon Nichols; daughter, Tamara Nichols; sister, Linda Frieden; grandchildren, Faith Ruiz, Chancellor Nichols, Bryce Nichols, Blaid Nichols, Skylar Martin; and great-grandchildren, Logan Nichols, Rickey Nichols, River Nichols, Everleigh Nichols, and Rowan Ruiz, Zelda Ford.

Louis Burke Jenkins
On December 21, 2019, the Winter Solstice, Louis left us peacefully seeking the return of the light.
He was 77. Born in Oklahoma City. he grew up in Stafford, KS and Enid, OK. He lived in Duluth, MN for 46 years. His life was poetry. He became well-known as the master of the prose poem, publishing 19 books. He was the co-author, with Mark Rylance, of the very successful play Nice Fish. Survived by wife of 48 years, Ann, son Lars (Amy), granddaughters Iris and Clio, sisters Dianne Mathis and Annette Gariepy, and many others who will miss him so very much. His papers will be added to the U of MN Archives.

Louis Burke Jenkins (October 28, 1942 – December 21, 2019) was an American prose poet. He lived in Duluth, Minnesota, with his wife Ann for over four decades, beginning in 1971. He also lived in Bloomington, Minnesota. His poems have been published in a number of literary magazines and anthologies. Jenkins was a guest on A Prairie Home Companion numerous times and was also featured on The Writer’s Almanac and on the Northern Lights TV Series.

Personal life:
Louis Burke Jenkins was born October 28, 1942 in Enid, Oklahoma to Burke Jenkins and Genevieve (née Webring). He attended Wichita State University from 1967 to 1969. Jenkins married Sandra Brashear in 1963, divorcing in 1968, and then married librarian Ann Jacobson in 1970,
relocating to Minnesota in 1971. He has a son named Lars. Jenkins died at his home in Bloomington on December 21, 2019, at age 77.

Literary awards and honors:
Louis Jenkins’ book, Nice Fish, was winner of the Minnesota Book Award in 1995, and his book Just Above Water won the Northeastern Minnesota Book Award in 1997. Jenkins was a featured poet at the Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival in 1996 and at the Aldeburgh Poetry Festival in England in 2007. He was a Bush Foundation Fellow in 1979 and 1984. He also was honored with the George Morrison award and Loft-McKnight Fellowship.

Acting and work with Mark Rylance
Actor Mark Rylance recited works by Jenkins in lieu of formal acceptance speeches after winning a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award for the play Boeing-Boeing in 2008 and after winning his Tony Award for the play Jerusalem in 2011. Rylance then transformed Jenkins’ poetry into the play Nice Fish, and Jenkins played Old Man Winter in a production of that play at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 2016. Jenkins also appeared in the minor role of Earl in the 2016 film Blood Stripe and as a therapist in the 1964 film Lilith.

Larry Neal Goertzen, 77, formerly a longtime Enid businessman, died Sunday, August 5, 2018, at his home in Yukon. He was born December 9, 1940, in Enid. His parents were Pete and Luciel Goertzen.
The Graveside Memorial Service is 12 noon Saturday, August 11, 2018, at Enid Cemetery.
Larry owned Larry’s Marine and Cycle for more than 30 years. He was active in the Enid Elks Gun Club, the Grand National Quail Hunt, Ducks Unlimited, a proud member of the NRA and spent over a decade of service in the Oklahoma National Guard. He was an avid hunter and fisherman. Larry is survived by his partner, Sharon Mikles, of the home, two sons, Ronnie Goertzen, of Enid, and Donnie Goertzen and wife, Lisa, of Pratt, KS. He is also survived by sisters, Phyllis Timmons, Portia Pratt Clayton and brother, Lanny Goertzen, all of Enid. He is also survived by six grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren and numerous nieces, nephews and friends. Fondly remembered by his family, Larry will be greatly missed.

No Bio was provided so using the Obit–

Darla Sue McBroom, 80, of Friona, Texas, passed away on July 14, 2022, in Friona, Texas. Darla Sue Newberry was born April 26, 1942, in Amarillo, Texas to Carl and Mozell Dyess Newberry.

Darla was a homemaker and a teacher’s assistant. She retired from Lazbuddie ISD after a long, rewarding career. Darla enjoyed gardening and always had colorful flower beds. She learned to love putting puzzles together during the pandemic and completed dozens of them the last few years. She had an affinity for animals, and often donated to local animal shelters.

She is preceded in death by her husband, Orin “Okie” McBroom; a son, Troy McBroom, and brother, Merwin Newberry.

Those left to cherish her memory are her sons, Casey McBroom and wife, April, of Happy, Texas, and Patrick McBroom and wife, Ronna, of Canyon, Texas; her daughter, Lori Stormes and husband, Andy of Amarillo, Texas; grandchildren, Skyla and husband Dustin, Tamra, Tristan, Dallam and wife Abbie, Demi and husband Colby, Breena, Kathie and husband Andrew, and Kimmie; great-grandchildren, Troy, Brogan, Bennett, Kamden, Brynlee, Kelbi, Grant, and River. She is also survived by one sister-in-law, Carol Newberry, of Abilene, Texas; several nieces, nephews, special friends, and her dog and beloved companion, Allie.

Darla’s children invite you to join us to celebrate her life well lived on Friday, July 29th, at the Happy Methodist Church from 2:00-4:00 PM. The address is 2300 Happy West Road, Happy, TX 79042, just north of the football field. This will be a casual time of fellowship and reminiscing.

It is always difficult saying goodbye to someone we love and cherish. Family and friends must say goodbye to their beloved Edgar Paul Schroeder (Sapulpa, Oklahoma), who passed away on January 11, 2023. You can sign the on line guestbook provided and share it with the family. You may also light a candle in honor of Edgar Paul Schroeder,

Dwayne Lizar Bibliography for EHS 1960

In view of the fact that I will become 80 years old next month and have never attended a high school reunion, I thought it might be nice to reach out to my surviving fellow classmates from Enid High School and give a brief description of my journey since high school. Following high school, I attended Phillips University majoring in speech and hearing science.  My father died at an early age (47) and I left school for a short time following his death, graduating with a bachelor of science in 1965.  That’s right a B.S. from P.U. After accepting a vocational rehabilitation scholarship my studies were continued at the University of Oklahoma Medical Center and Phillips University with a Master’s of Science degree achieved in 1968. During my early college days, I married Linda Roberts and we had two sons, Jeffrey and Christopher.  When Jeffrey was three years old and Christopher was one month old my family and I moved to Nashville, Tennessee where I completed two years of post-graduate work in the speech pathology/audiology program at Vanderbilt University. My professional experiences have included work in hospitals, clinics, schools, and private practice.  From Enid we lived for a short time in Kansas City, Missouri prior to moving to Ponca City, Oklahoma where a group of us developed a speech pathology/audiology department within a community mental health program.  In 1975 my family moved to Phoenix, Arizona where I established a private practice.

Linda and I divorced in 1981 as I moved to California and she retained her residence in Arizona. Following a practice of eleven years in Arizona, I tested the waters in California where I have been affiliated with a variety of programs, including 17 years as a contract speech-language pathologist in various schools affiliated with Summit Speech Pathologists, Inc.

I informally retired in 2017 after over 50 years in my chosen profession.  I continue to have a limited practice in audiology performing central auditory processing evaluations for students in four school districts.  It keeps me as busy as I want to be, but not as demanding as before “retirement.”

Our two sons attended Arizona State University where Jeff completed a degree in business and Chris was involved in the music department and played on the drumline of the marching Sun Devils.  Jeff and his wife Stefanie live in Yorba Linda, California and have two sons, Colin, a student at UCLA and Parker, a sophomore at Foothill High school in Orange County.  Colin writes for the Daily Bruin covering water polo activities and Parker plays water polo at his high school.

Chris and his wife Monica live in Corona, California and have a son, Austin who is a seventh-grade honor student and plays soccer. They have a daughter, Sierra, a fifth-grade student  who is an excellent student and cheerleader performing at minor league baseball games and participating in competitions.

I currently live with my partner of twenty-one years, Robbie (a woman honestly) in a gated community in Murrieta, California.  We enjoy walks on the beach, traveling, dining out, and playing golf.  Our home borders the 17^th fairway of the California Oaks Golf Club where we sometimes play.  Behind our home is a pond which attracts many different types of birds such as great white herons, Canadian Geese, ducks and in the neighboring trees we have red tailed hawks, owls and a variety of smaller birds.

Life is good and I have been blessed with family, friends, and good health.  My relationship with Robbie has opened my life to her children and grandchildren. One is a student at the University of San Diego and is an accomplished equestrian. (I don’t know where that came from, her parents are very city).  Two of her grandchildren are very accomplished water polo players and with Parker’s team making three we watch; we often spend weekends watching a lot of water polo. Including Robbie’s children, we have a total of nine grandchildren and one great grandchild.

Robbie and I are both originally from Oklahoma and will always regard the Sooner state as home.  We have made several trips back to visit family and friends. We are huge Sooner fans and bleed crimson and cream. Anytime a Sooner team gets close to where we are, we make it a point to attend the games. We followed the softball team closely this year and celebrated their sixth national championship.  My faith remains strong and my politics continue to be conservative in spite of all the craziness surrounding us here in California.

It is difficult to fathom how quickly life moves on when you are young. You always think you have more time, but sometimes that doesn’t work out.  I have always been proud to be a Plainsman and in spite of the lack of contact with old friends, have fond memories of my time in Enid, as a child, in high school, and in college.

I wish you all well and hope you are living the life you intended to live. 

Warm personal regards,

Dwayne

Funeral service for John Jack, 76 of Enid, will be 1:00 PM Tuesday, January 30, 2018 at Anderson-Burris Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Dan Barrick officiating. Burial will follow in Hawley Cemetery under the direction of Anderson-Burris Funeral Home & Crematory.
John was born on January 2, 1942 in Enid to Allen and Ruth (Frazier) Jack and passed away on January 26, 2018 in Enid.
John grew up in Enid and graduated from Enid High School. In 1961 he started working at Vance Air Force Base as a computer operator. John retired after working there for 49 years. He was also a licensed plumber and worked for his father-in-law. He was a 32nd Degree Mason, member of Lodge #80, and Jack loved traveling and fishing.
He was preceded in death by his parents and grandson, Warren Jack II.
John is survived by his companion, Kay Hendricks; son, Warren Jack and wife, Gretchen, and their daughter, Heather Steele and husband Tyler; son, John Jack Jr. and his sons, Adam and Randy Jack; three step-grandchildren; two step-great-grandchildren; and sister, Jo Ann Whitlock and husband Jim.

 

 

   Ralph Mitten           

I did not get to walk and receive my graduation certificate like normal people; instead, I enlisted in the Army. I did, however, receive my HS equivalent (GED) certificate while in the Army.

After receiving an honorable discharge (that may surprise a couple of you), I returned to Enid, OK. I was working at George E. Failing Co. on East Main when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. That is where I met Rosalie Dowe. She was George Doremus’s secretary. I asked her out on a dare from the guys in the shop, and we married a year later in 1965. Poor girl; I drug her all over the world and she has stuck with me through it all.

I became a pilot in 1968, and a commercial pilot/flight instructor in 1969. In 1970, I went to work for the Frisco Railroad, as a track hand. Six months later, I was enrolled in the Apprentice Engineer program. Eventually, Ben Haines and I took our written test to be a locomotive engineer. The examiner sat at the same table with us and didn’t even close the door when he went to the bathroom. The exam took two days. Later, I learned that Ben and I had made the highest scores ever recorded on the Frisco RR. (proud moment). An interesting tidbit – I worked with Beverly Gearheard’s daddy for 16 years on the Frisco/ Burlington Northern RR before leaving in 1986. I went back into the aviation field full time.

The last two years on the RR, I went to school and took the required tests to become an aircraft mechanic. Three years later, I took the exam to become an aircraft inspector. I have maintained both licenses to date. From 1986 to 1990, I trained and received my Airline Transport pilot license. I also received both Single Engine and Multi-engine, Land and Sea license.

From 1990 to 1992, we went to the South Pacific and served with Pacific Missionary Aviation as a life line to the outer island people. I carried missionaries to the outer Islands, did air medicine drops, sea search and rescue, and medical evacuations. I can honestly say that the Lord allowed me to serve Him in a much-needed ministry.

In 1992, we returned to the US, and I went to work for Groendyke Transport as a company pilot and aircraft mechanic. While there, I flew many missions for the company in the US, Canada, and Mexico. Sometimes, I flew alone, and sometimes, as captain or co-pilot with Mel Shipley, in the company Turbo-prop and Jet airplanes.

In 2000, I went to work at Flight Safety, International (training pilots in jets) in Wichita, Kansas. I retired in 2008 (65 years old) and Rosalie and I moved back to Enid. We have lived at Golden Oaks Retirement village since then. My final achievement, while in Wichita, was to fly a Citation CE680 Sovereign Jet from Wichita, KS to London, England. I crossed the Atlantic Ocean in the middle of the night at 45,000 feet.

I did, however, become very bored after retirement; and eight months later, I went to work for Aircraft Structures, International, at Woodring Airport  (Mickey and Kay Stowers), where I worked six more years.

Rosalie and I have been blessed with fifty wonderful years together. We have two children, five grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. We have been members of Emmanuel, Enid since 1980, where Dennis Luckinbill is the leader of my community group.