Clergy Family

Passages

Rev. Wishard Franklin Lemons Jr., 96, of Vinita died Jan. 15, 2014. His ministry career spanned more than 30 years.

Wish was born Dec. 17, 1917, in Muskogee. He was a World War II veteran. His first wife, Mary, died in 1957. His second wife, Wanda, died in 2013; they were married 54 years.

Beginning in 1956, he pastored at Harrah, Tecumseh, Madill, Tulsa-First (associate), and two New Mexico churches. He ministered as an oilfield chaplain for Parker Drilling Co., traveling to Alaska, Singapore, Brazil, and other sites.

At age 45, he began running for exercise and continued into his late 80s. Inspired by him, the Wish Lemons Run in Tulsa raised funds for Tulsa-First UMC missions for 11 years.

Survivors include four sons, Clark, Don, Gary, and Mark Lemons; daughter Laurie Greiner; nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Service was Jan. 22 at Tulsa-First.

Rev. Jackie Dan Simmons, 85, of Enid died Dec. 31, 2013. During his ministry career, this Local Pastor served at least 17 churches.

Jack was born Sept. 8, 1928, in Henryetta. He married Jewell Perry on Feb. 14, 1952. He was a Navy veteran and a 1965 graduate of Perkins School of Theology.

His first appointment was to Spavinaw/Salina in 1962. He also pastored Warner, Tulsa-Ball Memorial, Jet, Morris/Schulter, Arnett/Gage, Spiro, Afton, Bartlesville-Grace Epworth, Alluwe, Chelsea Memorial, Duncan-Wesley, and Sand Springs/Pratville. He officially retired in 1994.

Among survivors are his wife, daughter Cyndi Flanary, sons Dan and Dave Simmons, eight grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren.

Service was Jan. 11 at Henryetta-First UMC.

Memorials to: Henryetta-First UMC.

Reba Merle Goldsmith Hendricks, 89, of Ardmore died Dec. 29, 2013. She was the widow of Rev. Asa E. Hendricks.

Reba was born Oct. 16, 1924, in Dimmit, Texas. During World War II, she worked in a military airplane factory in Kansas City. Reba and Asa met at the former Will Rogers Field, then an Air Force training station, now Oklahoma City’s airport. They operated a photo studio in Kansas, then farmed in Oklahoma, before Asa became a pastor in 1964. He died in 1977.

Among survivors are daughters Sylvia Nichols, Terry Gornichec, and Timora Langley; son Tony Hendricks; seven grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

Service was private.

Billy Dow Fyffe, 79, of Waynoka died Dec. 31, 2013. He was the husband of Rev. Barbara Fyffe, who is the pastor at Waynoka/Cheyenne Valley.

Bill was born Nov. 22, 1934, in Muskogee. Bill and Barbara married on Aug. 8, 1992.

He worked 27 years for the Tulsa Fire Department and also was a business owner/operator. He was a member of Tulsa-St. Paul’s UMC.

Among survivors are his wife; children Cindy Haley, Sheri Shroka, Rebecca Clifton, and Chris Fyffe; stepchildren Paige Bilyeu and Jeff Smith; 10 grandchildren, seven stepgrandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

Service was Jan. 6 at Waynoka UMC.

Memorials to: Waynoka United Methodist Church Building Fund, Share Hospice.

Doris Helen Cronin Boyer, 91, of Oklahoma City died Nov. 29, 2013. She was the widow of Rev. Paul S. Boyer.

Doris was born April 3, 1922, on a farm near Cheyenne. Her 34-year teaching career was spent at Hilldale Elementary School in Muskogee. That included 27 years teaching first-graders.

Doris and Paul married on Jan. 26, 1958, in Oklahoma City. He died in 1991.

Among survivors are daughter Pauline Boyer Rodriguez-Atkins and son Paul Angie Boyer.

Service was Dec. 5 at Cheyenne-First UMC.

Memorials to: Oklahoma United Methodist Circle of Care.

Appointments

• Leonard McCarty to Gore UMC (Muskogee District), effective Jan. 15.

• Jeremy Jones to Warner UMC (Muskogee), effective Jan. 1.

• Huey Long, new, to Gerty UMC (Ardmore), effective Dec. 1, 2013.