Clergy Family

Barbara Plank

Rev. Barbara Sue Plank, 67, died Oct. 21, 2010. At the time of her death, she was the pastor at Jay UMC. She also had served as pastor at Big Cabin, in 2009.

Barbara was born May 31, 1943, in Chelsea. She attended business school in Tulsa and worked in the accounting department at Rockwell & Cooper Manufacturing. She attended seminary at University of the Nations, Kona, Hawaii.

She married John Edwin Plank on Aug. 1, 1971. He predeceased her.

Through the years, she was active in missionary work, traveling to Malaysia, England, Switzerland, Hong Kong, China, Latvia, Singapore, the Philippines, and Holland. In Hawaii, the Planks were mission builders.

Survivors include a daughter and son, Angela Hayes of Chelsea and Troy Bowman of Nowata; stepdaughter Mary Kathlene Davis of Clinton; seven grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

Memorial service was Oct. 25 at Claremore-First. Graveside service that same day was at Fort Gibson National Cemetery.

Jack Burton

Rev. Jack Dean Burton, 80, of Oklahoma City died Oct. 9, 2010. He ministered 40 years in the Oklahoma Conference, from the state panhandle to Durant in the southeast.

Jack was born Sept. 13, 1930, in Poteau. He was a graduate of the University of Oklahoma and Perkins School of Theology.

In 1962, he married SuAn King of Bixby.

His ministry began in 1955. His first appointment was to organize and build a church in Cyril. He also served at Noble, Guymon, Davis, Wilburton, Okemah, Penn Avenue and Chapel Hill in Oklahoma City, Aldersgate and University in Tulsa, and Durant.

After officially retiring in 1995, he was a chaplain at Mercy Health Center in Oklahoma City for 10 years.

Survivors include his wife, SuAn; a daughter, Lisa Murray of Edmond; and a granddaughter.

Memorial service was Oct. 14 at OKC-Church of the Servant.

Wayne Cook

Rev. Waddell Wayne Cook, 82, of Smithville, Mo., died Oct. 25, 2010.

Memorial service will be at 1 p.m. Dec. 5 at Smithville UMC, where he attended.

Wayne was born July 22, 1928, in Okemah to Waddell and Hettie Duncan Cook. He was a member of the Creek Nation of Oklahoma. Wayne and Billie Jo Slaughter Cook were married 58 years.

He graduated from Southern Methodist University, Dallas, and Phillips seminary, Enid. He worked for the tribe before beginning his clergy career.

Beginning in 1974, he served at Tyrone, Union Center, Duncan-St. Paul’s, Medford, Kingfisher, Cleveland, and Sallisaw. He was on staff of the Oklahoma United Methodist Foundation, 1986-90, based in Tulsa. He retired in 1995.

Survivors include three children, Susan Cook of Smithville, Gwen Cook of Oklahoma City, and Rev. David Cook of Lexington; four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his wife and a son, Mark.

In the spring, a Native American celebration of his life will be held in Oklahoma, at Thopthloppo in the tribal lands, during the wild onion harvest.

Marie Calvert

Mable Marie Calvert, 66, of Tom Bean, Texas, died Oct, 15, 2010. She was the widow of Rev. Donald Rea Calvert, who died in 2007.

She was born Sept. 28, 1944, in Tupelo, Okla. The Calverts married on May 24, 1987.

Survivors include daughter Christy Lee of Tom Bean; son Ed Stearns of Creighton, Mo.; four grandchildren and a great-great-grandson; three stepchildren, Cathy Graves, Carol Christian, and Mike Calvert, all of Bixby; and four stepgrandchildren.

Funeral service was Oct. 18 at Hardesty UMC, with burial at Elmhurst Cemetery.

•Jose Nieves Espinoza of Saltillo, Mexico, died Oct. 27. He was the father of Tino Espinoza, pastor at OKC-Hillcrest Fuente de Vida.