Obituary of Darla Faye Bright

Darla Faye Bright, Queen of Sass, left her earthly body in the early morning hours of November

29, 2024.

Darla was born in Pawnee, Oklahoma on January 30, 1948, to Arvie Dee and Emma Sophia

(Swanson) Bright.

She attended Lone Jack, a one-room rural school for eight years. She then graduated to the

school bus ride to Pawnee High School where she completed her high school days with the Class

of 1966. After high school she moved to Tulsa and attended Draughon Business School to learn

to be a keypunch operator.

In 1967, Darla started working at Shell Oil Company’s Credit Card Center in Tulsa and worked

there until 1992 when Shell outsourced the Credit Card Center to First Data Corporation. She

worked for First Data until they closed her department in 1999. She later worked at Bingham and

Howarth Family Dentistry until 2013.

Darla never married or had children, but she had fur babies. On the farm where she grew up, her

first dog was Trixie. Her numerous fur babies throughout her life must have felt like they had

won the lottery because of the love she gave them. She always had dogs and cats and most of the

time it was two each. Pekingese puppies were her favorites.

She was baptized at the First Christian Church in Pawnee. In Tulsa, she is a member of Harvard

Avenue Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

Darla was a talented artist with ceramics. The many pieces she painted were amazingly beautiful.

She was also a gifted photographer. Her dry-witted storytelling made people roll with laughter.

Darla collected friends throughout her life: Luann, Cheryl, Vi, and her Shell co-workers and

neighbors. Now many are gone but Jackie, Neal, Addie. Cleo, Rod and Danny remain as well as

several cousins and numerous friends.

She became a family member to children her mom babysat. In Pawnee, there were the Poe

children: Cathy, Wellon, Jr, and Teresa. Since Teresa lives in Tulsa, she always kept in contact

with Darla and brought her plates of food on holidays.

Later, when her mom moved to Tulsa, Darla became family to Kirstyn and Drew Brownson. No

matter where Kirstyn lived, she faithfully visited Darla when she was home. Kirstyn remembers

what a devoted daughter Darla was to her mother and the great care she provided to her when she

needed it in her last years. She specifically remembers watching The X-Files with Darla. Darla

never missed an episode and collected DVDs of every season.

In June 2023, Darla moved to Maplewood Care Center in Tulsa where she received the dialysis

treatments and care she required. By then she was basically homebound as a double amputee

who didn’t wear her prothesis regularly. Her TV was her constant companion. At Maplewood she

watched old Westerns and never changed the channel.

Even though she was sad to leave her home, the dialysis staff spoiled her during her dialysis time

and she cared for them deeply. Thank yous go to CiCi, Lyndon and Amanda, and the rest of the

Maplewood staff who cared for her daily.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Darla’s memory may be made to the Humane Society of Tulsa,

6232, E 60th Street, Tulsa, OK 74135.

A viewing will be held Thursday, December 5, 2024, from 10:00am until 8:00 p.m. at Ninde

Funeral Home. The funeral service will be Friday, December 6, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. at Ninde

Brookside Chapel, 3841 S. Peoria Avenue, Tulsa, Oklahoma. The committal service will be

afterward at 1:30 p.m. at Highland Cemetery, Pawnee, Oklahoma.

Ninde Brookside | 918-742-5556 | www.ninde.com