March 2022

The Underwood Oklahoma Home and Community Education Association of Canadian County met recently in the home of Vicki Duncan, with Natalia Valenzuela serving as hostess.

Bernita Davis read minutes of the previous meeting, with Ann Ricketts giving the treasury report.

Valenzuela demonstrated the art of making hot chocolate bombs, with members given bombs to take home.

The group discussed the upcoming West District OHCA meeting set for March 25 at First United Methodist Church in Duncan.

To prune or not to prune, that is the question. When Oklahoma experiences warmer weather in the winter months, homeowners may want to take advantage of the milder temperatures and get a head start pruning trees and shrubs in the landscape.

The purpose of pruning is to maintain the intended purpose of the plants in the landscape, improve plant appearance and protect people and property.

In the Yukon and El Reno public school districts alone, some 200 children have been identified as being homeless.

This number does not include children or family members who are too frightened to speak up about their homeless situations.

These children and families may be finding shelter anywhere. In Canadian County, a large number of homeless families are comprised of single mothers with one or more children.

Oceanna Schranz logged seven strikeouts as Union City High School’s slow-pitch softball team opened up the 2022 season with an 8-0 shutout of the Dover Longhorns.

The right-hander threw five complete innings, allowing three base hits and three walks. The Tigers defense aided the shutout with five infield put-outs as Dover did not advance a runner past second base.

On the morning of February 12, 2022, Eugene R. Slaughter, 81, was taken home to our Lord, ending his 10-year battle to cancer.

He was born June 1, 1940, in El Reno, where he graduated from El Reno High School and went on to finish his master’s degree at Oklahoma University. He devoted his life to working as a Federal Parole Examiner.

His greatest joy in life was traveling, playing golf and spending time with his family.

Both Redlands Community College basketball teams advanced into the NJCAA Region 2 Championship after splitting recent regular-season finales against Northern Oklahoma College of Tonkawa.

The Redlands women were the fifth seed for the tournament following a 79-57 win over the Mavericks to close the regular-season conference race with a 7-9 record. The Cougars took a 13-11 record into the postseason.

Funeral services for Lynn Elizabeth Lensgraf of Plano, Texas, will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 5, 2022, at Wilson Funeral Home with Rev. Colton Lott officiating. Burial will follow in the El Reno Cemetery.

Lynn passed away Feb. 27, 2022, after a long battle with lung disease.

She was born Aug. 27, 1949, to John and Charlotte Dillon in Oklahoma City.

After graduating from Paschal High School in 1967, she went on to study English literature at the University of Oklahoma and the University of Texas, earning a bachelor of science degree in education. 

Following in the footsteps of her mom, Haley Mitchell’s Okarche High School girls basketball team punched its ticket to the Class A State Championships with a 59-48 win over No.17 Ripley.

Mitchell, daughter of coaching legend Cherie Myers, earns her first state trip as a head coach as the second-ranked Warriors improved to 25-3 on the year with the Class A, Area II Consolation Championship.

The win came on the heels of a 53-47 loss to No.5 Vanoss, which snapped a five-game win streak for Okarche. Mitchell’s team was slated to play No.13 Garber in the state quarterfinals.

Funeral services for Lance Warren Dyer were held Friday at the Concho Emergency Resource Center with Rev. Alvin Deer officiating. Burial followed in the Concho Cemetery under the direction of Huber-Benson Funeral Home.

Lance died Feb. 28, 2022, at Integris Canadian Valley Hospital in Yukon. He was born Oct. 17, 1954, in Lawton. He attended the Rock of Restoration and Life Church.

Lance is survived by two sisters, Clara Goodmiller and Patricia Dyer White, both of El Reno.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Jay Steagall, R-Yukon, and Sen. J.J. Dossett, D-Owasso, House and Senate Chairs of the Oklahoma Legislative Veterans Caucus, said they applauded the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs (ODVA), as well as numerous veteran service organizations, who worked to make Oklahoma number one among the 50 states for veterans, per capita, in receipt of federal, service-connected disability benefits.

“Oftentimes disabled veterans either don’t know what resources are available to them or choose not to ask for help,” Steagall said.