Merle Rook

Merle Rook, 88, went home peacefully on November 8, 2011. Born January 9, 1923 in Taloga, OK to Richard C. Davis and Elsie Anna (Branham) Davis, she graduated from high school in Colorado then moved back to Clinton, Oklahoma to live with her sister and work. She took flying lessons and earned a private pilot’s license during World War II. Though Merle never attended college, she took several business and secretarial classes and earned a certificate as a certified professional secretary. She worked for many years as a personal secretary for Fred Jones and then over the years she worked as administrative assistant for several small oil companies before retiring. Merle loved her dogs and enjoyed obedience training until she was sidelined by a car accident in 1989. Never content to sit quietly, she became interested in making quilts and painting ceramics, especially dogs and Santas. She is survived by one daughter, Neva Payne and her husband Rick of Oklahoma City; two grandsons Christopher Sean Payne and his fiancée Jessica Kaplan of Austin, Texas and Patrick Ryan Payne of Austin, Texas. She was preceded in death by her husband of 68 years Marion B. Rook, her parents, one sister Neva Jaworsky Keil and a grandson Andrew Michael Payne. The family will be greeting friends from 4pm-7pm on Thursday, November 10th at Guardian West Funeral Home. Services will be held at 10:00 am on Friday, November 11th at Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens.

Arrangements under the direction of Guardian Funeral Homes West Chapel, Oklahoma City, OK.