Ursula Daniels

Ursula E. Daniels, age 84, a homemaker, passed away on Monday morning, May 6, 2019, at her home in Bartlesville. After a long and difficult struggle with Parkinson’s and chronic heart failure, she answered a call from her sister, mother and father to join them in Heaven.

Ursula Erna Daniels was born on March 6, 1935 in Hirschberg, Germany. She was the second of three children born to Christian Friedrich and Emma (Schneider) Friedrich. She spent the early years of her life in Hirschberg and attended elementary and middle school in Hirschberg prior to moving to Hof, Germany in 1950. The Saale river ran through Hirschberg and the river became the dividing line between East Germany and West Germany after World War II. She and her family crossed the Saale river at night in the middle of winter to escape from the Eastern zone and emigrate to Hof, which was located in the western zone. They took only the belongings that they could carry and wear, leaving everything else behind. She also left behind her beloved grandmother whom she would never see again and other loved relatives.

Ursula spent the remainder of her teen years in Hof and worked as a clerk in a dry cleaning business together with her father, sister and brother. She met her future husband, Donald R. Daniels, who was stationed in Hof while serving with the U.S. Air Force. They were married in Hof and returned to the U.S. in 1958 when he had completed his tour of duty. So, she again left loved ones behind to begin a new life in the U.S.

Ursula was a homemaker and devoted wife, mother and grandmother. She spent many hours babysitting and caring for her grandchildren. She was also a fastidious housekeeper and a fantastic cook. Everyone in the family looked forward to her blueberry (and cherry) cream cakes on birthdays and holidays. She studied for the U.S. citizen exam and became a U.S. citizen on November 10, 1966. In 1967, she moved with her husband and four children to Lagos, Nigeria where she, once again created a home atmosphere for her family in a new and unfamiliar place. After five years in Lagos, she returned to Bartlesville with her family.

In 1983, she again went overseas to Singapore with her husband. She lived in Singapore for two years and returned with her husband to Houston, Texas for a year and then back to Bartlesville.

While living overseas, she was able to visit some 10 or 12 countries in Europe and three or four in Asia.

Ursula is survived by her husband, Donald R. Daniels, of the home; four children: Tom Daniels of Owasso, Oklahoma; Sue Smith and her husband, Howard, of Owasso; Steve Daniels and his wife, Tracy, of Sachse, Texas; and Sandra Smith and her husband, Brad, of Collinsville, Oklahoma. She is also survived by seven grandchildren, Andrew Wood, Adam Wood, Ethan Wood, Angie Parker, April Benjamin, Shauna Bellator and Tori Smith. She is also survived by a brother, Klaus Friedrich and his wife, Christa, of Hof, Germany and six great-grandchildren.

Visitation with family and friends will be held from 6:00-8:00 PM on Wednesday evening, May 8, 2019 in the Arnold Moore & Neekamp Funeral Home, 710 S. Dewey.

Funeral services are scheduled for 1:00 PM, Thursday, May 9, at the Arnold Moore & Neekamp Funeral Home. A private family interment will follow the service at Memorial Park Cemetery.

Arrangements are under the direction of the Arnold Moore & Neekamp Funeral Home. Online condolences may be left at www.honoringmemories.com.