Mary Jo Cole

Mary Josephine Cole was born December 25, 1943 to Opal Lucille and Roland E. Conrad at W.W. Hastings hospital in Tahlequah, OK. She attended Pershing, Sequoyah, Houston, and Washington schools in Muskogee OK. She graduated from Northeastern State University with a Bachelors of Science and a Masters in Education. She began her career at the Cherokee Nation in July of 1971 as the first Adult Education teacher. Later Dr. Neil Morton appointed her Education Director. Ms. Cole supervised adult education, Early Childhood, Cherokee arts and crafts, Cherokee Heritage programs and alternative Education programs. It was during this time she was instrumental in developing the first Head Start application.

Later Principle Chief Ross Swimmer appointed Ms. Cole as School Related Programs Manager. Ms. Cole supervised the Johnson O’Malley program, Higher Education, Head Start, Vocational Education and several small grant programs. While in this position Mary Jo wrote several grants and assisted other grant applications. She was a consultant for the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Department of Education. In addition she was elected to the National Indian Education Association, the National Indian Adult Education association, and the Oklahoma Indian Education Association. She was a founding member of the National JOM Association. She served as the Education Chairperson of the Tsa-La-Gi Charter of American Business Women’s Association. She was a charter member of the Oklahoma Cherokee Artists Association and the Tahlequah chapter of the Native American Women’s Association.

Ms. Cole was appointed by Principle Chief Wilma Mankiller in her last position at Cherokee Nation as the Deputy Director of Talking Leaves Job Corps. She retired as the Education and Training manager in 1997 after 26 ½ years of service to the Cherokee Nation.

Being a founding mother of Help-In-Crisis she promptly went to work as a counselor, education coordinator and finally the grants writer for HIC. She was president of the Oklahoma Indian Coalition against Domestic Violence. After 14 years she retired again. She attended Elder Care and served as president of the Cherokee Elder Care Participant advisory committee. She also volunteered at the Humane Society Resale Shop. As a Cherokee Artist, Mary Jo designed Cherokee bead works by Mae-li. Among her many hobbies her favorite time at home was with her shih-tzu, Maggie.

Family meant a lot to Mary Jo who was an only child. Mary Jo was a mother to five children, Billie Drywater Fain, Suzanne Drywater, Kenny Drywater, Vincent Blair and Rod Cole. Her prayers and words of counsel will always be cherished by her children and her grandchildren.

Mary Jo is preceded in death by her father, her son, Kenny Drywater in 1986, her grandmother, Nancy Lyman, and many aunts and uncles.

Those left to cherish her memory include her beloved children, Billie Fain and husband Jack of Chewey, Suzanne Drywater of Tahlequah, Vincent Blair and wife Amber of Tahlequah, and Rod Cole of Cookson, OK. She lives on in her fourteen adored grandchildren, Jacqueline Fain Allen and husband Kenneth of Chewey, Jodie Hayes Rainwater and husband Kyle of Tahlequah, Cassilynn Drywater Coger and husband TJ of Waimanalo, Hawaii, Special Forces Soldier Sgt First Class Anson Fain and wife Jaime of Raeford, NC, Sarah Drywater Bond and husband Christopher of Park Hill, Jonathan Fain and wife Alyssa of Chewey, Kenny Drywater Jr. of Tulsa, OK, Nathan Blair of Tahlequah, Kristian Kinsey Schnitzer and husband Brandon of Tahlequah, Seif Drywater of Tahlequah, Josef Drywater of Tahlequah, Tyler Cole of Tahlequah, Jacob Carey of Tahlequah, and Kiersten Blair of Tahlequah. She also leaves her very special thirteen great grandchildren, Kayla Allen, Tiffany Allen, Eli Rainwater, Silas Rainwater, Andrew Fain, Constance Fain, Lilly Bond, Laila Bond, Keena Fain, Jackson Fain, Delilah Drywater, Kenny Drywater III, Bailor Schnitzer, as well as a host of friends and loved ones too numerous to mention.

Her funeral service will be held on Friday, August 10th, 2018 at 10:00 Am at the 29 Eleven Church with Pastor Nathan Langley officiating. She will be laid to rest with her family at Greenleaf Cemetery following services. The family wishes to thank all of their family and friends who have been there for the family, celebrating the life that their mother lived so well.