October 2023

Mary J. Stone of El Reno passed away Oct. 14, 2023, in El Reno. Mary was born Dec. 4, 1945.

Arrangements are pending with Wilson Funeral Home.

Funeral services for Lillie Hines will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, Oct. 23 at First Baptist Church, with burial to follow at the El Reno Cemetery. Viewing and visitation will be held on Sunday, Oct. 22 from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Wilson Funeral Home.

Lillie passed away Oct. 17, 2023. She was born to parents, Amon Jernigan and Ida Balsiger on Oct. 20, 1925, in Navina, Okla.

Maple first nine weeks A-B Honor Roll, front row from left, Brinley Bland, Declan Brothers, Journey Swigart, Laken Meschberger, Braxten Birdsong, Kynlee Shamblin, Adrianna Trujillo, Kinsley Racca and Matthew White; second row, Liam Brincefield, Dean Davis, Sadie Evans, Ryder Striegel, Taylor Dill, Ayvah Fudge, Jacob Bugaj, Addison Brandley, Makenzie Caldwell, Kash Brothers, Sayler Story, Serenity White, Brinley Porter and Carder Holden; third row, Presley Swigart, Michael Cullen, Jasper Whitman, Hudson Cooper, Kara Ellis, Katie Ellis, Brody Crawford, Christopher Barker, Graham Phillips, Jos

To the Editor:

People come into our lives when we need them the most. They come to lift our spirits or to give us hope. It’s not by accident that they come into our lives, they are sent by God, so I guess you could call them a messenger from God or “God’s Mailman.” They come to bring you a message just when you need it.

Sometimes these people don’t even know how much their kind words or acts of kindness really mean to us. How can they, unless we tell them.

Graveside services for Betty Duncan were held Thursday, Oct. 19 at the Geary Cemetery with Rev. Dick Kurtz officiating. Services were under the direction of Turner Funeral Home, Hinton.

Betty passed away Oct. 14, 2023, at St. Katharine Drexel Retirement Center. She was born Oct. 31, 1939, in Geary. She graduated from Geary High School in 1957 and attended Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford.

Betty began working at the First National Bank in Geary in 1968, and retired in 2005.

Jimmy F. Roblyer was honored recently by the Oklahoma County Retired Educators Association.

Roblyer was among 13 retired educators honored for a Lifetime Contribution to the Teaching Profession as well as Distinguished Service to the Oklahoma Retired Educators Association.

Roblyer, a 1956 graduate of El Reno High School, was honored in Tulsa at the Annual State Convention of Retired Educators.

He is the son of John and Faye Roblyer and brother to the late Leslie F. Roblyer.

Lamplighters OHCE of Canadian County met recently at Mount Zion Methodist Church, with Carol Stine calling the meeting to order.

Patricia Morrison gave a devotional titled “Imitate Me as I Imitate Christ.”

Roll call was answered by each person telling how they keep a positive mindset.

Maxine Little read minutes from the previous meeting, while Morrison gave the treasury report.

Morrison presented the leader lesson on “Families and Mental Health.”

Funeral services for Bailey Eugene “Gene” Coats will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 20 at Trinity Baptist Church with burial to follow in the El Reno Cemetery. Come-and-go viewing will be held at Wilson Funeral Home on Thursday, Oct. 19 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Gene died Oct. 14, 2023, at his home. He was born Dec. 7, 1930, in Sulphur to Orbie and Bertha Coats. He proudly graduated from high school in Wynnewood and went on to serve our country in the U.S. Army during the Korean War.

More than two decades separate their senior seasons, but El Reno High School running back Malachi Nicholson shares an eerie resemblance to the player whose record he is chasing – Marshell Chiles.

“I see a lot of me in him and his running style. I don’t want to take anything away from this young man and the things he has done, but I do see a lot of me in him.

“I’m just happy to see another great running back coming out of El Reno High School,” said Chiles.

El Reno High School’s football team eclipsed the 3,000- yard mark on offense after last week’s win over Ardmore.

The defense logged two interceptions.