Mary Louise McMahon-Mulkey

Mary Louise McMahon-Mulkey, 100, a longtime resident of both Oklahoma City and Tulsa, passed away Sunday, July 23, 2023, in Azle, Texas. While she will be greatly missed, we take heart in knowing that she’s been reunited with those that went before her, presumably for games of Triominos, vodka tonics, and endless laughter.

Mary was born September 25, 1922, in Oklahoma City, to Joe and Inez Novak. The family of nine soon moved to a home in the country with no indoor plumbing. Not so coincidentally, Mary vowed to never again live in the country. As a young woman, she returned to Oklahoma City and was working as a telephone operator when she met Eugene Allan “Mac” McMahon of Baltimore, Maryland. The couple married on October 30, 1942, and weathered his multiple deployments during World War II.

Their only son, Stacey Allan McMahon, was born on December 2, 1948. The young family moved frequently throughout Mac’s continued military service, and Mary created lifelong friends everywhere they lived, from Austin and San Antonio to Puerto Rico and Japan. Not long after Stacey married Yvette Bell in 1979, Mary stepped into the role for which she is best remembered — beloved grandmother.

Following the loss of Mac in 1984, Mary kept busy caring for friends and family and enjoying social games like poker, bunco, and lots of bingo with an ever-growing circle of friends. She married Madison Henry “Doc” Mulkey of Tulsa on December 2, 2006. They loved traveling and simply spending time together.

Strong and self-assured, Grandma Mary, our beloved Mary Lou, was a fiercely loving and loyal woman. She celebrated her 100th birthday last year, an enormous accomplishment that took few who knew her by surprise. She was truly one of a kind and she will be missed deeply.

Mary was preceded in death by both of her husbands, her two sisters, Alice and Bonnie, and her four brothers, JT, Richard, Frank, and Fred. She is survived by son Stacey “Mac” McMahon and his wife Yvette of Azle, bonus children Robert and Robin Mulkey of Tulsa, grandchildren Jessica McCane and husband Adam of Austin, Allan McMahon and wife Allison of Fort Worth, Bobby Mulkey and wife Kelsey of Tulsa, and Lexi Mulkey of Tulsa, and great-grandchildren GeorgiaLaine McCane, Bode Mulkey, and Carter Mulkey.

Graveside service in Oklahoma City will be private. Arrangements are being handled by Bill Merrit Funeral Services in Bethany, Oklahoma. A celebration of life will be held in Tulsa.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.billmerrittfuneralservice.com for the McMahon-Mulkey family.