Clergy Family

In memoriam

Bruce Stevens and Linda Stevens

Retired diaconal minister Bruce Urban Stevens, 62, and his wife, Linda Rasmussen Stevens, age 61, died March 17, 2010, in Texas. They were active members at Mustang United Methodist Church.

Bruce was born Aug. 27, 1937, in Yankton, S.D. He had served in the U.S. Air Force. He had worked 24 years as an electrical engineer for Southwestern Bell. As a diaconal, he also served at OKC-St. John’s UMC. He held degrees in electrical engineering and in divinity; he had studied at four universities, including Oklahoma City University.

Linda was born Aug. 25, 1948, in Wichita, Kan. She had worked 23 years for the Internal Revenue Service and was an attorney in Mustang. She held a law degree from OCU.

Survivors include daughter Lori Rasmussen-Miller, sons William Stevens and Eric Rasmussen, four grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and two foster children.

Memorial service was March 26 at the Mustang church.

Charles Sapp

Rev. Dr. Charles Leon Sapp, 81, of Enid died March 31, 2010.

He was born March 23, 1929, in Oklahoma City. He married Ynette Culley on June 6, 1948, also in Oklahoma City.

He attended Oklahoma City University and Oklahoma Baptist University before the couple moved to Nashville. He continued his formal education there and in Texas, Virginia, and North Carolina. Back in Oklahoma, he taught at South Oklahoma City Community College and was an adjunct professor at OCU.

He began full-time ministry in 1976, as an associate pastor at McFarlin UMC in Norman. He also served at Enid-Bethany, Stillwater-Highland Park, Perry, OKC-Village, and Texhoma. He retired in 1994.

Survivors include his wife, Ynette; son Charles Michael Sapp of Muse; daughter Lynette McKinney of Parker, Colo.; four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Funeral was April 3 at Enid-First UMC, with arrangements by Anderson-Burris.

Katherine Milner

Katherine "Katie" Ann Moore Milner died April 2, 2010. She was the widow of Rev. Robert "Bob" Milner, who died in 1992.

She was born May 6, 1928, in Osaka, Japan, to a missionary couple. The family moved back to the United States when she was 12. Katie and Bob met while she was a student at Austin College, Sherman, Texas; their first date was singing together while he preached at a jail. They married on May 31, 1949.

She taught in Oklahoma, often at schools near churches led by Rev. Milner.

Survivors include daughters Paula Wright of Anchorage, Alaska, and Ruth Morgan; sons Matt Milner of Broken Arrow, Tom Milner of Overland Park, Kan., and Peter Milner of Tulsa; children and grandchildren.

Memorial service was April 10 at Broken Arrow-First UMC.

Thelma Cooley

Thelma Beatrice Reed Cooley, 94, died March 25, 2010, in San Antonio, Texas. She was the widow of Rev. Charles Raymond Cooley.

Thelma was born Feb. 27, 1916, near Gage. A graduate of Northwestern Oklahoma State College, she was a teacher for 36 years. She also managed a farm after the death of her first husband, Wesley Reed.

In 1982, she met and married Rev. Cooley, who was pastoring at Blackwell-First UMC. He retired in 1985. The couple moved to San Antonio in 2004. He died in 2008.

She was a longtime member of Lamont UMC, and later a member of the Blackwell church, where she sang in the choir. She also took part in many civic activities.

Survivors include seven children, Lila Reed Roberts of San Antonio, John Reed of Stanwood, Wash., Ed Cooley of Longwood, Fla., Mike Cooley of Magnolia, Texas, Ruth Hicks of Weatherford, Ramona Rossen of Piedmont, and Rachel Tarantola of Tulsa; nine grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.

Service was March 30 at Blackwell-First, with arrangements by Roberts & Son Funeral Home of Blackwell.