Obituaries

Major General Donald Forrest Ferrell

Body
Major General Donald Forrest Ferrell, USAF, Retired, was born January 6, 1929, to Forrest Shea Ferrell and Theresa Cooper Ferrell in Oklahoma City. He died at his home in Chandler on March 15, 2024, surrounded by his family.

Ralph Jr. Jones

Body
Ralph Jr. Jones of Stroud, Oklahoma, passed away on March 20, 2024, due to complications from a respiratory condition. Ralph was born April 25, 1942, in Carnegie, Oklahoma, to Ralph Leonard Jones and Belva Effie (Adkisson) Jones.

Joann (Hibben) Williams

Body
Joann (Hibben) Williams was born on April 21, 1938, to T.D. Hibben and Leoma (Trimble) Hibben in Spaulding, Oklahoma. She passed away on Tuesday, March 19, 2024, at the age of 85. She was a member of the Choctaw Tribe. Joann was the oldest of four children and the family made their home in Shawnee, Oklahoma. She graduated from Shawnee High School in 1956. She was a talented artist and her art teacher at Shawnee High School got her a job at Hallmark Greeting Cards in Kansas City, Mo. Joann worked at Hallmark helping design greeting cards as an artist for one year after graduation before returning to Shawnee to marry her high school sweetheart, Frank Williams. Joann and Frank made their home on the south side of Oklahoma City. They had two children, Frank (Rick) and Carol.

Samuel Irving Hellman

Body
Samuel Irving Hellman, celebrated for his unwavering integrity, boundless love, and profound kindness, passed away peacefully on March 22, just six days shy of his 84th birthday. Born March 28, 1940, in Chandler, Oklahoma, to Victor and Mildred Hellman, he deeply absorbed the small-town virtues of friendliness, charm, and unpretentiousness that he exhibited to everyone who crossed his path - no matter their station in life. Like the famous Oklahoman Will Rogers, he never met a person he didn’t like, and there was no person who instinctively failed to like him.

Theressa Mae Ledbetter

Body
Theressa Mae Ledbetter, of Meeker, Oklahoma, passed away on Friday, March 22, 2024, in Meeker, Oklahoma, at the age of 89. Theressa was born on April 26, 1934, in Ardmore, Oklahoma. She was the daughterofEddus“ED” and Lela Mae (Burge) Carter. Theressa grew up in Oklahoma City and was a graduate of Southeast High School in Oklahoma City. Theressa married Jim Ledbetter at Bethal Church of Choctaw and the couple were happily married for 27 years. The couple made their home in Meeker.

Donald Wayne “Don” Hodde

Body
Donald Wayne “Don” Hodde, longtime Chandler, Oklahoma, resident was born on July 3, 1949, in McLoud, Oklahoma. Don departed this life on March 16, 2024, in Chandler, at the age of 74 years.

Joseph Laurice Jolley

Body
Joseph Laurice Jolley, known more frequently by his middle name, Laurice, was born on December 10, 1933, in Hopewell, Alabama, to Joseph Ashton Jolley and Allie Lofton Jolley. He departed this life at his home with his wife nearby on March 18, 2024, at the age of 90.

Jewell Delphene (Gallaher) Spence

Body
Jewell Delphene (Gallaher) Spence was born September 3, 1929, in Wellston to William Franklin and Olive Gertrude (Woodside) Gallaher. She passed away March 17, 2024, in Midwest City at the age of 94. Jewell was the oldest of nine children, a registered nurse, Methodist and a Republican. She married Rex Spence in 1945 and they raised three sons together.

Earl Jones

Body
Earl Jones, a Tupelo resident, passed away Friday,March15,2024, at the age of 90. Born on April 9, 1933, north of Walters, Oklahoma, on Cache Creek. Earl was the son of Claud and Willie (Lovelady) Jones. In 1951, he married Ruth Turnpaugh, and together they raised three children.

Ashley ShaNae Wilson

Body
Ashley ShaNae Wilson was born August 14, 1998, and passed away March 11, 2024, at the age of 25. Ashley spent most of her life in Shawnee.