Margaret "Marge" Augusta DeFrees

Margaret Augusta "Marge" DeFrees (née Hein) of Bartlesville, OK, age 101, passed away on Monday, July 22, 2024 with her children by her side. She was born on November 22, 1922 to Louise Anna Norden and Peter Otto Hein at the family farm of her maternal grandparents (Theodore and Anna Norden) near Fairmount, Kansas.

Marge grew up in Basehor, KS on the Hein family farm, a two story home with her parents and two younger sisters, Bernis and Shirley. During her formative childhood years, the family farm did not have indoor plumbing, electricity, or gas. She worked on her family farm growing up milking cows, feeding animals, climbing the silos and helping in the fields and family garden. After she turned 13 years old, she began helped her mother prepare food for the thrashers during harvest time killing five chickens a day, cleaning and preparing them for frying, and making 5 pies on a 40 inch wood stove as her mother prepared potatoes and other food. 

She attended Fairmont School, a one room school house through 8th grade. Her dad regularly took her to school by horse and buggy. She missed two thirds of her 8th grade year due to tonsillitis and eventual tonsillectomy, yet achieved 88% on county exams allowing her to pass 8th grade. She attended Basehor High School, graduating in 1940. She achieved first place in an Oration declamation contest in high school competing against numerous schools. 

After high school in 1940 she rode the bus daily to and from Kansas City (15 miles east) cooking, cleaning, washing, ironing and providing child care to a family being paid $2.50 and later $3.50 for 5 days. During World War II she worked at the North American Aviation bomber plant in Kansas City producing B-25’s. After the war ended, she worked at Farmer’s Insurance in Kansas City.

Marge met her husband, Albert John “Frosty” DeFrees at a dance on May 15, 1943. Their first date was on May 22, 1943. They continued dating and especially loved attending live music concerts and dances at the Pla-Mor Ballroom in Kansas City. They saw many big bands and jazz concert artists/music such as Harry James, Glenn Miller, Count Basie, Django Rhinehardt and others. Frosty contracted polio August 1, 1946. After his discharge from KU Medical Center, she quit her job to move to his family farm to help him recover. She did physical therapy on his legs daily and he eventually was able to walk. They married on December 14, 1946. She continued his therapy daily for several years after marriage. She took courses at Burroughs Machines in Kansas City then went to work at Reeves Weideman wholesale plumbing and heating company in Kansas City, doing their accounting until September 1950 when they moved to Bartlesville, OK for Frosty’s new job with Phillips Petroleum Company. 

Marge also worked for Phillips in its accounting department until the birth of their first child, Stephen, who was born on Christmas Day in 1951. Their second child, Pamela, was born in April 1954. 

Marge was a faithful member of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Bartlesville, OK, where she was an active parishioner for over 70 years. She was president of Redeemer Lutheran Church’s women’s group for several years and an active member at Wilson School PTA and City PTA during her children’s school years. She attended cosmetology school, opened and operated her own salon, and later went into real estate. She loved golf and was a member of the Adams Park Women’s Golf League playing at many local and regional golf tournaments. She was a great golfer and placed in many tournaments. She got a hole-in-one while playing golf on Maui, HI. 

From an early age Marge enjoyed sewing and was an excellent seamstress. She sewed neckerchiefs for Boy Scout Troop 2000 for many years. Marge was very involved with her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. An amateur genealogist who loved sharing her family history with others, Marge travelled throughout the US and Europe searching for original family records and researching her family’s story.

After Frosty’s retirement from Phillips in 1985 they spent their retirement time enjoying extensive travel throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. They bought an RV, became members of an RV club and traveled all over the US, including spending their winters in Apache Junction, AZ for 23 years. She enjoyed golf, painting, arts and crafts, playing card games and dominoes during their RV trips.

She was preceded in death by her father, Peter Hein; mother, Louise Norden; sisters, Bernis Terry and Shirley Mann; and husband Albert John DeFrees. She is survived by her son, Stephen DeFrees; daughter, Pamela Tilly; grandchildren, Matt Tilly and his wife Megan Tilly, Kara Tilly, Samuel DeFrees and his wife Allison; and great grandchildren James, Margaret, Elizabeth, Catherine, Jacqueline, and Leslie.