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Betty Jo Thurman Davis


   Betty Jo Thurman Davis, 94 longtime resident of Vernon, passed away on July 19, 2015 after a brief illness. She joined Kelly Davis, her beloved husband of 41 years, who had preceded her in death.
   Betty was born July 24, 1920, in Okemah, Okla. to Floyd B. Thurman and Mary Frances Jones. After attending school in Okemah, she worked for 28 years in operations at Citizens State Bank in Okemah. She married Charles Kelly Davis on July 30, 1960, and they moved to Vernon where she was employed as assistant vice president of operations at Herring National Bank. She retired in 1991, after 17 years of service and helped organize the Herring Bank Retirement Group. Betty was a longtime, active member of First Baptist Church in Vernon. She was a member of the Faith Sunday School Class, an outreach leader, Insurance Committee member and former member of the Budget and Finance Committee, which she chaired for one year. She was a member of the Red River Valley Museum. She loved to play bridge and continued to be part of two bridge groups up until her passing.
   Betty will be remembered by her many friends for her kindness and her loving devotion in the care of her family. Gathering with family and friends were always filled with laughter and joy.
   Betty was preceded in death by her husband, Charles Kelly Davis; son Joe Kelly Davis; her brothers Jim and Reeves Thurman; sisters, Alice Booze, Dorothy  Thurman and Mary Barber. She is survived by her three grandchildren, Katherine Anne Davis, of Austin; Taylor Jovella Davis and Jackson Kelly Davis, of Boulder, Colo. She is also survived by her nieces, Lori Barber of Lindsay, Okla., Linda Thurman Wolf and her husband Scott, of Okmulgee, Okla.,;Diane Booze, of Oklahoma City, Okla., and Charlyn Grijalva, mother of granddaughter Katherine Davis.
   Services will be held Friday, July 31, 2015 at 10 a.m.,  at the First Baptist Church in Vernon. Officiating will be Rev. Gib Baskerville. Graveside interment will be held at 4 p.m., at Highland Cemetery in Okemah, Okla. Officiating will be nephew Scott Wolf.
   Visitation will be Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Sullivan Funeral Home.
   Memorials can be made to First Baptist Church Building Fund in Vernon or First Christian Church in Okemah, Okla.
   Online condolences may be made to the family at www.sullivanfuneralhomevernon.com

 

 

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