January 2023

Mass of Christian Burial for Margaret Lorretta Menz was held Thursday, Jan. 5 at St. Joseph Church in Union City with Rev. Lance Warren officiating.

Burial was in the St. Joseph Cemetery under the direction of Huber-Benson Funeral Home.

Margaret died Dec. 29, 2022, in Corn.

She was born May 21, 1932, in Union City where she lived most of her life. She was a homemaker and member of St. Joseph Church and Altar Society.

Margaret is survived by her sons, Frank Menz Jr., Gary Menz and Dale Menz; four grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

To prepare for a new rural housing development, Canadian County has renamed sections of a road northwest of Yukon.

Canadian County commissioners, at their final meeting of 2022, voted 3-0 to approve a resolution “authorizing changing the name North Richland Road to Schien Road and N.W. 129th Street for 9-1-1 addressing purposes.”

Arthur William Wiedemann passed away at the age of 93 at his home in El Reno.

He was born April 20, 1929, in Richland to Ernst and Dora Wiedemann. He was the ninth of 10 children and has shared numerous stories of his experiences growing up in the 1930s and 1940s with his own children and grandchildren over the years.

Arthur served two years in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. When he returned, he married his forever love and life partner of 68 years, Irene Ann Schieber. Together they began their farming and ranching career in Piedmont.

CALUMET – Jacob Mayfield wanted his Calumet High School boys basketball team to work on perimeter shooting heading into the second half of the season.

“If we can get it going from the perimeter, we will be tough to beat,” said Mayfield.

Geary got a firsthand look at the Chieftains offense with that perimeter game clicking as Calumet knocked down 16 3-pointers en route to a 117-28 rout of the Bison in Washita Valley Conference action.

Calumet, ranked seventh in Class B, improved to 11-1 on the season with its ninth straight win.

CALUMET – Senior Allie Harris sparked three multi-point breakaways as Calumet High School’s girls basketball team greeted the 2023 portion of its schedule with a 68-24 win over Geary.

The win was the fourth in a row for the Chieftains, who improved to 8-4 on the season and 4-1 in the Washita Valley Conference standings.

Geary led the contest 10-6 before Harris sparked the first 11-0 break with two free throws at the 2:18 mark of the first period.

Born in El Reno, Oklahoma, on November 19, 1941, Richard D. Thompson was son of Maurice Ellsworth Thompson Sr. and Blanche L. Samuelson Thompson of Calumet, Oklahoma.

Richard was a Vietnam era Army veteran and received a Bachelor of Science degree from Central State University, Edmond.

He was a lifetime Oklahoma banker, his work in the profession encompassing 40 years as Bank presidents, including long tenures at the 1st National Bank of Konawa and the family-owned 1st National Bank of Calumet.

Funeral services for Myong “Kim” Whipple, 83, of El Reno will be held Friday, Jan. 6 at 10:00 am in the Wilson Funeral Home Chapel, with burial following in the El Reno Cemetery. 

Myong passed away Jan. 3, 2023.

Melva Jean (McNatt) Stephenson Whitfield was born Aug. 3, 1945, in Chickasha to Melvin and Wanda (Vance) McNatt. She passed away Jan. 3, 2023, in Yukon at the age of 77.

Melva grew up in Binger and Santa Paula, Calif. She was 15 when they moved back to Binger. Melva married Frank Stephenson on Feb. 9, 1965, in Binger. To this union were born Donnie, Tawnja and Darla.

Frank preceded her in death on Sept. 22, 2000. She later married Brice Whitfield on April 30, 2004, in Wichita Falls, Texas, and they spent 18 happy years together.

Anita (Miller) Lewis was born June 1, 1943, in Grandfield.

She earned a bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma Baptist University and a master’s degree from the University of Oklahoma. Upon graduation in 1965, she began a long, successful teaching career in the Oklahoma City and El Reno public school systems. In 1980, she was chosen as the Oklahoma Educator of the Year.

Anita was a member of P.E.O., Retired Teachers Association, Delta Kappa Gamma, Mother’s Club and the Savannah Station Therapeutic Riding Program.

El Reno senior Emma Patswald (center with vest) recently signed an NJCAA letter of intent with Redlands Community College for shooting sports under head coach Shelby Skaggs.

Patswald has been a member of the El Reno shooting sports program for six years and the Canadian County 4-H Shotgun Team for five years.