Vanita Jane Frizzell McGehee was born June 26, 1945 to James E. and Frances Frizzell in Duncan Oklahoma. Jane attended school in Duncan, graduating high school in 1963. Following high school, she attended St. Anthony Hospital School of Nursing, graduating with a Diploma in Nursing in August, 1966. She returned to school in 1998 to obtain her Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from Oklahoma Weslyan University, completing it in 2000 “magna cum laude” and was listed in “Who’s Who in American Colleges.” Public Health Nursing had become her professional love beginning in 1989 at Pittsburg County Health Department. In 2002 attained a “Certificate of Public Health” being one of the first group to obtain this distinction. Jane practiced her profession from 1966 until 2015 when she retired from the Pottawatomie County Health Department after 20 years of service to the State of Oklahoma in Public Health. During her public health career, Jane received many honors for her service and creativity.
Jane is preceded in death by her parents, brothers Jerry Don and Hamer; a sister June and a grandson Hunter Martell. Survivors include a brother Grady (wife Charlene) of Katy, Texas; brother-in-law Bob of Katy, Texas and sister-in-law Janet of Stillwater, Oklahoma; sons Jimmy (wife Brenda) of Harrah, Oklahoma, and Tracy (wife Betsy) of Midwest City, Oklahoma. In 1971 Jane married the father of her sons. Jimmy and Tracy and wives have blessed her with four grandchildren: Jake (wife Kailea), Justin (wife Jawna), Joseph (wife Kelley), and Sarah (husband Michael). Those grandchildren have in turn blessed her two times over with eight great grandchildren: Mason, Jensen and Maverick McGehee; Rylan McGehee; Cason McGehee; Addison and Owen Martell, and Austin Block. Jane also has numerous nieces and nephews.
Family was the center of her life and she often told her staff “family comes first.” As you all can attest to, Jane like things orderly and well planned – thus this obituary. By the way, this entire service was planned by her years ago. First of all, she did not want to be a bother but mostly she wanted things done according to her plan.
It was her desire to be remembered as a loving mother. She loved and cared for those boys as children, as fathers and as grandfathers – often giving advice, unsolicited but valuable!
Jane was far from perfect and would be the first to admit that, but she worked hard to do her best at whatever she undertook – be it working on projects on her job, making baby blankets, or cooking those infamous Thanksgiving dinners. Some of her fondest memories were the camping trips every year. No fancy camper, just an old army tent. And never – and she means never did they go to the lake that it did not rain. But it never dampened their fun.
I hope the boys and their families remember fondly those big breakfasts on weekends spent in McAlester fishing in the ponds and shooting my bluebirds – Justin!! And finally, just to make one thing clear, Brenda – I never burned the biscuits!! That is your claim to fame.
We encourage you to donate to the American Cancer Society in lieu of flowers.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18