Cletus Mae Banks

Cletus was born on April 5, 1943 in Oklahoma City. Cletus is survived by her sister, Mary Haney. Son, Stephen Banks, daughter Stephanie. Granddaughter Erica and her husband, Chris. They have 3 children, Bryce, Blake and Jase Roland.

She was one of 4 siblings born to Charles and Leona Mercer. Growing up in Oklahoma City, Cletus made many wonderful memories, some of which were: playing outside with her cousins on a family farm, eating pears and roller skating with her cousin, Naomi. During her childhood Cletus enjoyed going with her parents on fishing trips.

She graduated from U. S. Grant High School in 1961. When Cletus came of age, she decided to enlist in the Army after graduating high school. Cletus soon found herself stationed in Fort Hood as a medical corpsman for 2 years. Cletus spent most of her career at Tinker Air Force Base as a quality inspector.

While stationed at Fort Hood, Texas; Cletus met and fell in love with Charles Banks. They married on April 11,1964. They were married for 37 years.

If I could describe Cletus to you in only a few short words, it would be straight forward, honest, talkative, adventurous, warmhearted and funny.

Cletus lived life to the fullest and wasn't afraid to show the world who she really was. Some of Cletus's favorite activities revolved around scrapbooking, traveling, gardening, and bargain shopping. She also loved going to the Thunder games, and her pets, Toby and Tinkerbell.

It was also one of her greatest joys in life to have big family gatherings around holidays and fishing just like she grew up doing with her father.

The wonderful thing about Cletus was that she didn't live for just herself. Helping others, brightening other people's lives also brought Cletus much joy in life. She was always helping and encouraging others by volunteering in the NICU at OU Health for many years, Joining HoHo the clown unit and dressing up as her favorite “Sassy the clown" for many events.

I also want to say a special thank-you to James (Skip) Long and Micheal Parkis for being there and being one of those wild friends of hers for years. The two of you helped her and the family thru the dark times at the end. Alzheimer's is a cruel disease and she showed us how to live with dignity and fun. All of the support, encouragement, and words of comfort over the past several days will always be remembered.

A visitation for Cletus will be held Wednesday, August 23, 2023 from 3:30 PM to 7:30 PM at Bill Eisenhour Funeral Home, 8805 NE 23rd Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73141. A funeral service will occur Thursday, August 24, 2023 from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM at Arlington Memory Gardens Mausoleum, 3400 North Midwest Blvd, Oklahoma City, OK 73141.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.eisenhourfuneralhome.com for the Banks family.