Juanita Faye Pope

She was the loving daughter of Gerarda and Paul Shramek, born in Marion, Kansas on October 13, 1936. She attended the Sacred Heart Academy in Wichita, Kansas, Colorado Women’s College, and the University of Oklahoma.

She was a devoted wife to her late husband, Thomas Turner Pope III (1936-2017); a caring mother to her four children, Maria Pope, Monica Pope, the late Thomas Turner IV Pope (1964-2020), and Christopher Pope; and the best “Grammy” to her grandchildren, Madeline Pope, Christina Pope, Garner Lazar Pope, and Grace Pope. She was also a big sister to Paula McCreight and Celeste Downey, and an aunt to their children; and a sister-in-law to Stacy Tyler, and an aunt to her son.

Needless to say, she was the definition of a strong, unwavering matriarch.

During her extraordinary lifetime, she was an avid art collector and traveler, building a beautiful and welcoming home for her family and friends.

She was a longtime music minister at St. Cecilia Catholic Church, where she served faithfully until the decline of her health. She played the organ and piano for hundreds (perhaps thousands) of masses, weddings, and funerals.

Her signature lipstick color “Million Dollar Red” was such a favorite of hers that when she heard the company was discontinuing the color she bought enough of the stock to last her the rest of her life. Her signature perfume was “Paloma Picasso”. She always had a soft cashmere wrap that still has that lovely scent. She loved a great Bloody Mary or a Margarita.

She is so deeply loved and missed, but her family finds solace knowing she is with her husband and son once again.