November 2020

Lanny was born May 15, 1940, in Ryan, Okla., to Ernest and Rachel Keller. He passed from this earth on Oct. 30, 2020.

He grew up in El Reno where he made lifelong friends and graduated from El Reno High School in 1958.

Lanny served in the U.S. Army in Augsburg, Germany. He was an engineer for the Rock Island and Southern Pacific Railroad, retiring in 2006.

Lanny was a lifetime Oklahoma Sooners fan and enjoyed attending and watching games. He loved spending time with his family and friends.

Funeral services for Herschel Lee House were held Tuesday at Lookeba Missionary Baptist Church with Rev. Scott Lenaburg officiating. Burial was in the Hinton Cemetery under the direction of Turner Funeral Home.

Mr. House passed away Nov. 11, 2020, in Oklahoma City. He was born June 21, 1937, east of Hinton. Herschel graduated from Lookeba High School and attended one year at SWOSU. He was engaged in farming.

Herschel was a member and the oldest deacon of Lookeba Missionary Baptist Church.

Graveside services with full military honors for Larry Glenn Crosby of Minco was held Saturday at the Evergreen Cemetery under the direction of Huber-Reynolds Funeral Home.

Mr. Crosby passed away Nov. 11, 2020, at the Oklahoma Heart Hospital in Oklahoma City. He was born June 22, 1951, in Oklahoma City. Larry was raised in the Blanchard and Minco communities, graduating from Minco High School in 1970. Larry joined the U.S. Army in 1970, retiring after 33 years of service.

Graveside services for Joseph James Starkey of Minco were held Monday at the Evergreen Cemetery in Minco under the direction of Huber-Reynolds Funeral Home.

Mr. Starkey passed away Nov. 11, 2020, at his home. He was born Jan. 24, 1956, in Chickasha. Joe was raised in the Minco community, graduating from Minco High School in 1974.

He was a mechanic as well as engaged in farming and raising cattle.

He was a member of Minco First Baptist Church.

Graveside services for James Murrell Chitwood of Oklahoma City were held Saturday at the Evergreen Cemetery in Minco under the direction of Huber-Reynolds Funeral Home.

Mr. Chitwood passed away Nov. 8, 2020, at his home. He was born Nov. 5, 1939, in Pratt, Kan. Jim was raised in Pratt until the age of 14 when the family moved to Minco.

MUSTANG – Three of the six age group championships awarded during the Central Oklahoma Football League's Super Bowl Saturday made their way back to El Reno.

El Reno’s 6-and-under, 9-and-under and 11-and-under football teams all defeated squads from Mustang. The city’s Little League program had the most titles by one over Mustang.

“I think that’s the first time we have won three titles,” said El Reno’s Mark Vincent.

El Reno High School will play football Friday night in the bi-district round of the Class 5A playoffs after the program was cleared to return to practice late Monday afternoon.

A surge in the number of students placed into quarantine from a small pool of positive tests for the coronovirus has forced El Reno Public Schools to close both its high school and junior high campuses to in-person learning.

Superintendent Craig McVay said Etta Dale Junior High and El Reno High School will be shuttered through November 29. The closures were effective at the end of the school day Thursday, Nov. 12.

The current plan is for students to return to in-person classes on Nov. 30.

El Reno High School continued its tradition of remembering Veterans Day with a virtual ceremony last week due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2020 Gifts to the Yanks drive is now under way. Donations are being accepted by El Reno students in grades 9-12 to purchase gifts for veterans at the VA Hospital in Oklahoma City.

Classes are also selling shirts and other items ahead of the Dec. 10 virtual assembly where gifts will be displayed and then taken to Oklahoma City. For more information or
to make a donation, call the school at 405-262-3249.

Craig McVay has a long-range plan for El Reno Public Schools, but the events over the first 10 months of 2020 have pushed the superintendent toward revamping those ideas.

“What we have talked about ahead of reviewing our long-range plan was to find out what the community expects, what our teachers expect and what our students expect,” said McVay.

McVay said guiding the district’s educational needs through the global COVID-19 pandemic as well as the rising awareness of racial inequalities was the driving force behind looking at the plan again.