Obituary of Marye Dunbar

Thank you for 47 years of love, happiness and contentment. Marye was a wonderful homemaker and money manager. She made several successful investments including a 529 educational fund for our great granddaughter. Marye was born February 24, 1922 in Keifer, OK to William and Albertine Douglas. The oldest of four children she is preceded in death by her two brothers, Ray and Rex Douglas. She is survived by her sister, Joann of Tulsa, OK; her daughter, Cheryl of Atlanta, GA; her two grandsons, Chris and Aaron of Atlanta, GA; her granddaughter, Tara of Tulsa, OK; her great granddaughter, Cara of Tulsa, OK; her nieces, Deborah of Edmond, OK and Jo Anna, of Denver, CO; and her nephews, Douglas of Medford, OR and Doug of Oklahoma City, OK. After Joann was born the family moved to a small community in rural Seminole County where her father worked in the oil fields. Shortly after the move her father was admitted to a V.A. Hospital where he later died. The family moved into the home of her maternal grandmother. During the depression years Marye worked part time babysitting and house cleaning while attending school. After Junior College Marye began a career with the Department of Human Services that covered four decades. She held various positions including assistant to the State Director of Child Welfare Services, Laura Dester. Marye returned to Tulsa in 1966 married and began employment at the Hissom Memorial Center in Sand Springs, Oklahoma. At Hissom she enrolled in a correspondence course in medical records and retired as a licensed Register Medical Record Technician. Marye enjoyed participating in the "Week End Program" where an eligible employee would take a child home for the weekend. Many of the children's parents were not able to arrange home visits because of the distance involved. Marye was a volunteer with programs in Oklahoma City and Tulsa. Among them were The American Red Cross, The Salvation Army, Meals On Wheels, Tulsa Rose Gardens and the Tulsa Run. She was a member of her church finance committee. Mary was concerned for the needy and for years contributed several times a year to organizations such as The Salvation Army, John 3:16 Mission, Community Food Bank Of Eastern Oklahoma and Meals On Wheels. Retirement provided the opportunity to become a member of the Kendall Whittier Chapter of the Tulsa Meals On Wheels program. In 2004 the M.O.W. program presented Marye with the Silver Spoon Award for services. Later that year the Kendall Whittier Ministry, Inc. awarded a plaque to Marye inscribed "To improve the quality of life for individuals of our neighborhood with gratitude, we honor Marye Dunbar for outstanding volunteer services. October 25, 2004" Between 2005 and 2009 Marye continued her volunteer work. During this time she began to take care of homeless cats. Each cat was diagnosed with a life threatening illness. We took care of them as long as possible and then contacted Companions Forever. We have a shelf with 4 small containers with the names, Sally, Molly, Tessie and Fritz. In 2009 Marye suffered a broken hip. Surgery and rehabilitation were successful but physical activity was limited. In March 2013 she broke her other hip. Surgery was successful but complications developed from other health problems and she remained hospitalized until her death in December 2013. During her hospitalization her family and friends provided much support and the loving care she needed. Marye was quiet, modest, delicate in appearance but strong in determination. She was generous with others and frugal with herself. She especially enjoyed visiting with family and friends and watching Cara grow and developing a career plan. She was concerned about others and her good deeds would fill a book.