Lucile Mary Strome

Lucile Mary Strome, 98, went to meet her Lord on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, at the family farm southeast of Bartlesville, near Oglesby. She had lived on the farm for 77 years, and wanted to spend her final years there.

Lucile was born Nov. 4, 1926, in Ochelata, to Hazel and Alfred Benefiel. She graduated from Sand Springs High School, and attended Tulsa University for one year.

She married Albert Strome on March 29, 1947, after he returned from an enlistment in the U.S. Navy Seabees during World War II. They made their home on a farm just west of Oglesby.

Lucile embraced the life of a farm wife. She took a noon meal to Albert and his brother Bob, who lived with them, when they were working in the field. She liked to garden, and she had a green thumb for growing houseplants. In her later years, she supervised her caregivers and her daughters in caring for her beloved plants.

Her daughter Viola saw first-hand her mom's green thumb after she was given a shamrock plant while she was in college. The plant was not in good shape, but Lucile nursed it back to good health. The family still has offshoots from the plant more than 50 years later.

Lucile grew up in the Great Depression, and it taught her how to make do with what was available. Her daughter Alberta found some amusing evidence of that one day when she was taking down the curtains in her mom's room and discovered that the curtain rod wasn't a curtain rod – it was a three-foot piece of a fishing rod.

In the 1960s and 70s, Lucile added to the family finances by milking a cow or two and selling the milk to neighbors off the back porch. If she wasn't home when a customer came by, they would just get the milk out of a refrigerator and leave the money in a cup.

Lucile taught her daughters how to cook. She was known for her pies.

She was also an excellent seamstress, and made many of her daughters' clothes. She also taught them how to sew.

The farm was the perfect place for two of her favorite activities - fishing and picking up pecans.

Lucile also loved to play dominoes, and she was very good at it. Even at age 97, she often beat her daughters, son-in-law David or her caregivers in a game or three. She also enjoyed teaching youngsters how to play.

Lucile loved to put together jigsaw puzzles. She put together dozens and dozens of them over the years. She also looked forward to getting her newspaper in the mail.

Lucile attended New Harmony Baptist Church for many years until her health prevented her from going. She loved the ladies in her Sunday School class. She enjoyed reading the church bulletin sent by Joan Kelly, who was a grade school teacher of daughters Alberta and Velda.

Lucile lived a full life and will be missed by all who knew her.

Lucile was preceded in death by husband Albert Strome, brother-in-law Bob Strome, sons-in-law Mike Coppinger and David Allen, brother Arthur Benefiel, and her mother and father, Hazel and Alfred Benefiel.

Survivors include: three daughters and one son-in-law, Viola Lucile Coppinger of Ochelata, Velda Christine Allen of Nowata and Alberta Linn Burgess and husband David of Vinita; five grandchildren, Lance Coppinger, Jim Coppinger, Blaine Coppinger, Zackary Allen and Sierra Allen; and numerous great-grandchildren.

The family would like to thank Lucile's caregivers and the Cunningham family for the help they gave and the love they showed her. Without them, she would not have been able to spend her final years at home, which is what she wanted.

The funeral service will be held Friday, at 2 p.m., at New Harmony Baptist Church, with Pastor Lonnie Hoelscher and Brother Charley Cunningham officiating. Interment will follow at Ramona Cemetery.

The service is under the direction of Arnold Moore & Neekamp Funeral Home of Bartlesville.