Obituaries

Former El Reno resident Mike Whinery died April 6, and was buried near Geary.

Mike was born in El Reno on Dec. 9, 1955. He was a graduate of El Reno High School and an accomplished trapshooter, having won numerous titles including Oklahoma Junior Champion. An avid outdoorsman, Mike farmed west of Geary.

He is survived by his wife, Debbie; daughter, Jordan Tramell; stepsons, Nick Leonard and Brandon Leonard; grandson, Blake Tramell; and his parents, Frank and Theresa Whinery.

Graveside services for Virginia Lee Hayes of Minco were held Monday at the Evergreen Cemetery under the direction of Huber-Reynolds Funeral Home.

Virginia passed away April 13, 2021, in Blanchard. She was born July 29, 1939, on the family farm in Minco. Virginia was raised in the Minco community, graduating from Minco High School in 1957.

She retired from Lucent Technologies in 1997 after 36 years.

Graveside services for Clarence R. Sanders of El Reno will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, April 19, 2021, in the El Reno Cemetery with Minister Herbert L. Sanders III officiating. Services are under the direction of The Funeral Home LLC, Watonga.

Clarence passed away April 5, 2021. He was born June 29, 1947, in El Reno. He worked for the Rock Island Railroad for 13 years, the local Housing and Urban Development Office and the city of El Reno.

Clarence was a community activist, a 3rd Degree Mason and member of the local Masonic Sunrise Lodge No.8.

Funeral services for John Russell Bleigh will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday, April 20, 2021, at First Christian Church with burial to follow in the El Reno Cemetery. Come-and-go viewing will be held at Wilson Funeral Home on Monday, April 19 from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

John passed away peacefully at his home in El Reno the morning of April 14, 2021. Born in Calumet on July 9, 1929, to R.H. Bleigh and Jennie Nievar Bleigh, John graduated from El Reno High School in 1948, then served in the U.S. Army stationed in Germany.

Funeral Mass for Rosemary Fox Hess was held Thursday, April 15, 2021, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church with burial following in the El Reno Cemetery. Services were under the direction of Wilson Funeral Home. 

Rosemary was born in El Reno to John W. Fox and Gertrude Shupbach Fox on April 24, 1919. She attended Sacred Heart School, Hockaday School – Dallas, and graduated in the 1937 Class of El Reno High School. She then graduated from Ward Belmont J.C., Nashville, Tenn., and then from the University of Oklahoma, where she was a Kappa Alpha Theta.

Cathy Lynne Brown-Diehl was born Feb. 20, 1960, in Oregon. She died April 12, 2021, at her home in El Reno.

She was a homemaker and a member of the Baptist church.

Cathy is survived by her children, Steven Brown of Yukon and Misti Thompson of El Reno; brother, Kenny Brown of El Reno; sisters, Brenda Mantooth of Yukon and Shirley Mantooth of Vian; 12 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

A family service will be held at a later date. Arrangements are under the direction of Huber-Benson Funeral Home.

Funeral services for Juanita Rose Handke of Minco were held Friday at First Baptist Church of Minco, with burial following in the Evergreen Cemetery. Services were under the direction of Huber-Reynolds Funeral Home.

Juanita passed away April 12, 2021, at her home. She was born Feb. 24, 1936, in Pocasset.

Graveside services for Miguel Angel “Miguelito” Miller were held Thursday in the Kingfisher Cemetery with Pastor David Lee of the Watonga Indian Baptist Church officiating. Services were under the direction of Huber-Benson Funeral Home. 

Miguelito was stillborn on April 9, 2021, at Integris Southwest Medical Center in Oklahoma City. 

Memorial services for Glenda Sue Mitchell of El Reno will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 17, 2021, at the Lake El Reno Pavilion.

Sue passed away March 31, 2021, at her home. She was born Nov. 26, 1944, in Minco. Sue worked as a security guard for 39 years and retired as a captain from Securitas. She loved going to Sid’s Diner daily to visit with her Sid’s family and of course eat her french fries and salad.

She lived at Ashton on the Greens where she will be missed by her cul-de-sac friends and especially the dogs as she would love on every one of them.

Mass of Christian Burial for Mary Helen Graham, former El Reno and Mustang resident, will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Union City, with burial to follow at St. Joseph’s Cemetery. Services are under the direction of Huber-Reynolds Funeral Home of Minco.

Mary passed away Feb. 4, 2021, at the Integris Canadian Valley Hospital in Yukon. She was born Aug. 24, 1932, in Duluth, Minn. She was a member of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church.