Mary Wilda Terapen Rains

Tahlequah, OK- graveside services for Mary Tarepen Rains will be held on Friday, November 15th, 2013 at 10:00 AM the Tahlequah City Cemetery Gazebo in Tahlequah, OK. Online condolences may be left for the family at www.reedculver.com.

Mary T. Rains was born on February 23rd, 1914 in Cherokee County, OK the daughter of Jesse and Ellen Elizabeth (Wood) Tarepen. She attended school at Chilocco. She graduated from school and married the love of her life, Fred H. Rains. Together they settled down to ranching life in Park Hill, OK, in a cabin on Lake Tenkiller. Fred and Mary were devoted to one another, perhaps that is why they enjoyed their lives so much. They spent their free time hunting, or, in Mary’s case, fishing, and swimming was optional, as Mary sank more than she swam. Mary had an adventurous spirit. Later in life she tried rides on motorcycles, in small airplanes and even an 18-wheeler all before she passed from this life. She loved to go with her brother, sister or nieces to weekend garage sales. There was the annual rafting trip with the Jones-Waterfallen-Johnson crew; and Mary, once placed her big toe in the leak in the bottom of the raft, while the kids paddled faster than a snake could swim towards them!

Her nieces and nephews always knew that at the end of their visit, one of Aunt Mary’s sack lunches awaited them for the drive back to Texas. The lunches would normally be eaten before leaving the Tahlequah city limits. She was a talented cook and made the lightest and fluffiest rolls, cakes and cobblers. She was a proud member of the Presbyterian Church of Tahlequah for many years as well as the Oklahoma Order of the Eastern Star. She loved time spent with her church family and even took part in the church plays, as long as she didn’t need to memorize lines. Her beloved Fred preceded her in death in 1975. Mary spent many more hours around the nieces and nephews she adored and loved as her own children, and laughter was never in shortage with Aunt Mary around.

The Lord called Mary home from her labors on Thursday, November 7th, 2013 in Hilda, SC. She was 99 years old and could proudly say she packed more life into those 99 years than most would have done in two lifetimes. Her smile, her laugh, and the way she made you feel, will be greatly missed by all those who knew her.

Mary is preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Fred Rains, and was the last of the five boys and three girls, John, Frank, Walker, Tom, Dollie and Ollie.

She had nieces and nephews which she loved like her own children, those surviving include, Bill and Billie Van Duyne of Raytown, MO, Frances Alford of Elkhart, TX, Carolyn Waterfallen of Tahlequah, OK, Sharon and Johnie Johnson of McAlester, OK, Janet Jones, Cynthia Lindsey, and Curtis Jones, of Dallas, TX, Sheilah Jones of St. Louis, MO, Theresa Jones of Seattle, WA, Wanda Post of Kansas, OK, Betty Foreman of Oaks, OK, Carol Barge of CA , Tommy Paul Terrapin of Vian, OK, Sandy Terrapin of Tulsa, OK, Mack Terrapin of Ft. Gibson, OK, Fram Terrapin, of South Carolina, Becky Terrapin, and Aggie Fischel of California, Sonny Terrapin, Fram Terrapin and Felicia Neal of South Carolina, as well as many more cousins and a host of friends and loved ones.