Obituaries

Alan Dale Akeen died March 24, 2026, at Integris Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City. He was born Dec. 15, 1986, in Lawton. 

Known as “Mookie,” he was a member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes and Native American Church.

He is survived by his wife, Peighton Perry; daughters, Gertrude Akeen and Cedar Woman Akeen; mother, Thelma Little Charley; brother, Anthony Akeen; and sisters, Joanna Akeen, Jenny Bigfoot, twin, Ella Akeen and Samatha Creek.

Services were held Monday, March 30 at Huber-Benson Funeral Home with burial at Concho Cemetery.

Michelle Rene Acuff, beloved wife, mother, daughter, sister and aunt, passed away peacefully on Sunday, March 22, 2026, at Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City. 

She leaves behind a legacy of warmth, generosity and devoted love for her faith, family, friends, and the many students whose lives she touched.

Michelle was born in Okarche to Robert V. and Florence E. (Grellner) Rother on March 8, 1968. She was raised in El Reno and graduated from El Reno High School in 1986, where her strong spirit and kind heart began to shape the remarkable woman she would become. 

Services for Ernest Lee McMullen were held Thursday, March 26 at First Baptist Church in Minco, with burial following at the Evergreen Cemetery. Services were under the direction of Huber-Reynolds Funeral Home.

Ernest was born in Minco on April 15, 1935, to Roy and Lola McMullen. He went to be with the Lord on March 20, 2026, at the age of 90 while living at St. Katharine’s Retirement Center in El Reno. 

Services for Gary Leon Hartley will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, March 23 at Huber-Benson Funeral Home.

Visitation will begin at 10 a.m. prior to the service. Burial will be at Red Rock Cemetery in Calumet.  

Mr. Hartley died March 16, 2026, at his home in Traskwood, Arkansas. 

Funeral services for John “David” George Jr. of Oklahoma City will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 28 at Moore Funeral and Cremation.

David passed away March 8, 2026. He was born June 30, 1965, in Oklahoma City. He was raised in El Reno and graduated from El Reno High School. He later enjoyed a career in sales working at his mother’s antique mall off Route 66 in El Reno.

David is survived by his children, Jake, Ashley and Spencer; brothers, Doug and Deryk Ruth and Mark George; his dad, Ray Ruth; and eight grandchildren.

Florence L. Barber 81, of El Reno, passed away Jan. 24, 2026, surrounded by her loving family. 

Florence was born Aug. 30, 1944, in El Reno, the daughter of Ruth Mildred Derrett and Laurice Reagans, both deceased. 

Sisters: Patricia Glass (deceased) and husband, Terry Nash, Johnetta (Grover) West, Ruby James (deceased), and Sandra Reagans White.

Brothers: Milton (Emma) Charles Reagans (deceased), Rodney (Geneva) James (deceased), Michael (Lori) James and Terry James (deceased). 

On July 14, 1929, Marie Elizabeth Dittmer was welcomed into the world, the seventh of eight children born to Herman and Murl (Roberts) Dittmer.

She had, despite arriving at the beginning of the Great Depression, an idyllic childhood at Cardinal Crest, the home her father built to raise his large family. 

After graduating from Colorado Women’s College, Marie returned to El Reno where she began her secretarial career at First Christian Church. She married Kendall Maxey, and from this union her daughters, Suzan Marie Maxey and Nancy Diane Maxey-Barbieri were born. 

Services for Otis Marshall Baker will be held at 1 p.m. Tuesday, March 17 at Hinton Turner Funeral Home Chapel with Reverends Leo Bradley, Gary Miller and Sharon Miller officiating. Services were under the direction of Turner Funeral Home, Hinton.

Marshall passed away March 11, 2026, in Oklahoma City. He was born March 6, 1936, in Welty. He served in the U.S. Army as a paratrooper and was an auto body painting expert.

He was a member of Victory Christian Fellowship in Yukon.

Cecilia Renae Hobson was born Aug. 7, 1961, in El Reno to Charles Lloyd Holbrook Sr. and Ruby Jo (Jones) Holbrook.

She passed away Friday, March 6, 2026, at her home in El Reno at the age of 64.  

Cecilia graduated from El Reno High School and spent most of her life in the El Reno area. She lived for a short time in the Tulsa, Broken Arrow and Kellyville areas. While living in Kellyville, she worked for Washko Parks Distribution.

Leon Arthur Bomhoff passed away March 4, 2026, at the age of 83. He was born to parents, Betty and Alvin Bomhoff in El Reno, where he grew up alongside his sisters, Beverly and Judy. 

He attended Lutheran School in Okarche through sixth grade and graduated with the El Reno High School Class of 1957.

Leon married Sherry Smith and from that union was blessed with two children, Troy Dean and Lisa Dawn. He loved his children and worked hard to provide a good life for them. Leon had a strong work ethic that he passed on to them.