Nina Irene Gensler

Nina Irene Gensler of Midwest City passed from this life on December 31, 2023. She was 94 years old. Nina was born on May 31, 1929, in Fairview, Oklahoma to Vercho and Irene Stiles. She grew up on a farm outside of Fairview; she had two brothers, Lee and Roy, and two sisters, Maxine and Shirley.

Nina moved from Fairview after graduating from Fairview High School and was working at a dairy when she met Delbert Gensler. Delbert joined the Navy during the Korean war and on New Years Eve in 1951, while he was home on leave, he and Nina married. Nina travelled with Delbert to Bremerton, Washington, San Diego, California, and Hattiesburg, Mississippi, where the couple’s son Mike was born. Nina had an adventurous spirit but had never been outside of Oklahoma before. She often told stories about the people she met and the places she saw during those happy years. The couple moved to Enid after Delbert’s service and had three daughters, Tammy, Cindy, and Linda. They moved to Del City and then to Midwest City to raise their children.

Nina was a strong, hardworking, and fiercely independent woman. She always worked outside the home; she worked for Harry Mortgage Company for over 30 years until her retirement. She also worked incredibly hard at home to care for her family. Nina always did “extra” with what little the family had, whether it was sewing matching dresses for her three daughters or cooking large meals for her family and friends in need.

Nina did not rest in her retirement. She worked as a volunteer at Midwest City Hospital for years after Delbert died in 2006 and made some amazing friends. She also continued to sew, quilt, paint, and do other handwork. Nina was a Sooner football fan and a voracious reader. And she loved cheering on her grandkids in all their pursuits.

Nina was preceded in death by her husband Delbert Gensler, her son Mike Gensler, her daughter Tammy O’Quinn, her daughter Cindy Crabb, her grandson John Gensler, and all her siblings. She is survived by her daughter Linda Kaufmann and her husband Michael, grandson Matthew Kaufmann and his wife Jaisa, granddaughter Lauren Parker and her husband Daniel, grandson Bill (B.J.) Howard and his wife Adrianne and their children Luke, Mason, Drew, and Beau, granddaughters Jessica and Carrie O’Quinn, and great granddaughter Penny. Nina will be sorely missed by all who knew and loved her. The family is comforted in knowing that Nina was reunited with her beloved Delbert on New Year’s Eve, which would have been their 72nd wedding anniversary.