Charolette Ladean Aiken

Charolette LaDean (Goatcher) Aiken passed away peacefully Saturday, June 20, 2026, surrounded by her children, after a courageous 16-year battle with colon cancer. She was 75 years old. Born in Phenix City, Alabama on June 14, 1951, Charolette was the oldest daughter of Harold Ray Goatcher and Mary Elizabeth Newman Goatcher. Charolette and her sister Anne were Army brats, and their family moved around living in Georgia, Germany, and Alaska. The family moved to Norman in 1964, after the Alaska earthquake, and their father taught Army ROTC at OU. Charolette was a 1969 graduate of Norman High School and attended the University of Oklahoma. She married Vance Aiken on November 25, 1970. After their honeymoon in Guadalajara, Mexico, they lived in Norman and later moved to Dallas, Texas in 1973 for work. They had two children, Chelle Anne born in 1977 and William Blaine born in 1979, while in Dallas. They moved back to Norman in 1980 to be close to family. They loved to travel and take their kids on road trips. They always believed you learn more from a vacation than sitting in a classroom. They took every opportunity to travel across the US, as well as to Mexico and Europe. Although the Aikens’ marriage ended in 1992, they remained friends.

Charolette worked for Totco Oil Company in Norman from 1980-1983. She graduated with a B.A. in Journalism and Public Relations from OU in 1986, and she completed course work for an M.A.in Journalism in 1987. She worked for The Cleveland County Record in Noble from 1987-1989, followed by working for The Daily Oklahoman as a Staff Writer from 1989-1997. During this time, she wrote nearly 3,000 articles (majority on the front page) and earned numerous awards for her articles on the 1995 Murrah Federal Building Bombing. In 1995, she co-authored an article in the Journal of Emergency Services Magazine, and in 1996, her work was featured in the Nieman Reports Quarterly Journal, Nieman Foundation at Harvard University. Her articles are also in the OKC National Memorial Museum. From 1997-1999, she was the Assistant City Editor for the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin in Ontario, California, and from 1999-2004, she was the Business Editor/City Editor for The Press-Telegram in Long Beach, California. From 2004-2005, she was the Deputy City Editor at The Honolulu Advertiser in Honolulu, Hawaii. In 2005, she moved back to Oklahoma to be closer to family, and she worked at The Elk Citian in Elk City, OK until 2008.

She moved back to Norman in 2010, and enjoyed her remaining years being close to her grandkids, Luke and Grace. She loved going to their soccer games, dance recitals, football games, and school activities. Even though she was battling cancer, she was very determined to be present in their lives and to watch them grow up. She was always eager to share her love of art with them, doing numerous art projects at her house and going to museums.

Charolette was an avid reader, and her home was filled with all her books, artwork, and collectibles from her travels. She loved art, art history, works by Matisse, and books on world travel and design. She loved to watch both College and NFL football, especially her Sooners and Dallas Cowboys.

She was preceded in death by her parents, former husband Vance, and her brother-in-law Larry Maloy, of Norman.

Survivors include her daughter Chelle Schneider and her husband Michael and their children Luke Danner, Grace Danner, and Camille Schneider, all of Norman; son Blaine Aiken of Norman; sister Anne Maloy-Coker and her husband Les, of Blanchard; niece Sherrie Maloy and sons Xavier and Braxton, of Tennessee; niece Seana Maloy and son Xander, of Blanchard; aunt Frances Rodgers and her husband Curtis of Fortson, Georgia; her step-mother Lynda Goatcher, of McAlester; and her beloved cousins in Georgia.

A celebration of Charolette’s life will be presented by Bill D. Mayes on Friday, June 26th at 2:00pm at Primrose Funeral Chapel on North Flood Ave in Norman, with a family lunch at noon.

Memorial donations may be made in Charolette’s name to Meals on Wheels of Norman.