Clergy Family

In memoriam

Rev. Mark S. Barnett, 50, of Midwest City died Nov. 9, 2011. He was senior pastor of Wickline United Methodist Church at the time of his death.

Mark was born Jan. 20, 1961, in El Paso, Texas. He earned a bachelor’s in music at East Central University and divinity degree from Phillips Theological Seminary. He married Linda Dicus on June 2, 1990.

Rev. Barnett began his ministry in 1989 at Perry. He was campus ministry director at Oklahoma City University and pastored at Hinton. He was a clergy mentor and active in Camps ministry.

He was honored as YMCA Volunteer of the Year 2007-08.

Survivors include his wife; daughters Taylor Morgan and Brenden May, of the home; and adopted son Joe Nett, a U.S. Marine.

Service was Nov. 12 at Wickline UMC.

Rev. Lawson Gerald Lee, 93, of Enid died Nov. 23, 2011. His ministry career, from 1943 to 1984, stretched from Oklahoma and Louisiana to Peru and Uruguay.

He was born May 9, 1918, in Homestead. He attended NWU, SMU, and USC.

In Oklahoma, Rev. Lee served at Keyes, Mutual, Enid-Grand Avenue, Catoosa, Lawton-St. Paul’s, and Cleo Springs.

In Peru, he was national director of Church World Services. In Uruguay, he was a district superintendent and also executive secretary and national head of The Methodist Church of Uruguay.

Survivors include his wife, Elsa, of the home; and daughter Susana Rivera of Hemet, Calif.

Service was Nov. 28 at Enid Cemetery Chapel.

Rev. Roy C. Rowlan, 96, of Canute died Nov. 27, 2011. He served almost a half-century as a pastor.

Roy was born Dec. 2, 1914, near Canute. He married Ella Jane Bogle on July 18, 1937.

A Distinguished Alumnus of OCU, he graduated in 1938. He earned his master’s at SMU in 1941, then began preaching at Butler. He also pastored at Wheatland, Chickasha, Temple, Carnegie, Shattuck, Purcell, Cherokee, OKC-Penn Avenue, Heavener/Hodgen, Enid Central, Hobart/Roosevelt, Watonga, and Lindsay/Criner.

The couple retired to his family farm in 1980. His community leadership was extensive. He was inducted into the Western Oklahoma Hall of Fame.

Survivors include daughters Barbara Owen of Tulsa and Donna Rowlan of Oklahoma City, three grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.

Service was Dec. 2 at Elk City-First UMC, where he was active in retirement.

Sibyl Ann Edmondson, 85, of Tulsa died Nov. 14, 2011. She was the wife of Rev. Justus Edmondson, retired.

Sibyl was born Jan. 14, 1926, in Conway, Ark. She was a homemaker and active member of Boston Avenue UMC in Tulsa. She had been an officer of Church Women United and member of American Guild of Organists.

Survivors include her husband of 63 years, daughters Carolyn Buso and Nancy Alston, a grandson, and two great-granddaughters.

Service was Nov. 17 at Boston Avenue UMC.

Lois Rebecca Smith Duncan, 83, of Edmond, died Oct. 27, 2011. She was the wife of Hall Duncan, a retired UM missionary.

Lois was born Dec. 18, 1927, in Houston. She married Dr. Duncan in 1998 in Cape Town, South Africa.

Survivors include her husband, daughter Carol Harlan, son Dean Smith, and 11 grandchildren. She was predeceased by her first husband, Hal Davis Smith.

Service was at OKC-Quail Springs UMC on Oct. 31.

Ruby Adell Purcell Simpson, 97, of Scottsbluff, Neb., died Oct. 28, 2011. She was the widow of Rev. Charles Edward Simpson.

Adell was born Nov. 3, 1915, at Reydon. The Simpsons married in 1935.

After her husband’s death in 1978, Adell moved to Clinton. She was a UMW officer at multiple levels.

In 2008, she moved to Scottsbluff, to live with daughter Janet Gardner. Other survivors are three grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Memorial service was Nov. 3 at Clinton-First UMC.

Rebecca Carolyn Heaton, 97, of Yukon died Nov. 1, 2011. She was the widow of Rev. Loren G. Heaton, who died in 1999.

She was born Oct. 11, 1914, in Davenport. She was active in United Methodist Women. She moved to Yukon in the late 1990s.

Survivors include sons John Heaton of Duncan and James Heaton of Tulsa, daughter Jeanne Pratt of Oklahoma City, four grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.

Service was Nov. 5 at Yukon-First UMC.

Frances Sue Crutchfield Post, 85, of Greeley, Colo., died Nov. 13, 2011. She was the wife of Rev. Dr. William "Billy" Morgan Post Sr., retired.

Frances was born Sept. 24, 1926, in Mc-Kenzie, Tenn. The Posts married on Christmas Eve 1942.

She was a homemaker and active church member.

Survivors include her husband of 69 years; daughter Lynne and son William Jr., both of Greeley; and five grandchildren.

Service was Nov. 17 at Greeley Wesleyan Church.

F.W. "Steve" Stephenson died Nov. 22 in Tulsa. He was the father of Rev. David Stephenson, OKVIM liaison for the Oklahoma-Bolivia Partnership.

Lowrie Welton Sr. died Nov. 1 in Athens, Ga. He was the father of Rev. Lowrie "Larry" Welton, retired.

Roy Brasher died Nov. 25 in Tulsa. He was the father of Rev. Richard Brasher, pastor at Beggs/Schulter.

Wanda "Jo" Tener of Oklahoma City died Nov. 26. She was the mother of Rev. Greg Tener of Poteau.