Bernice Beatrice Kilpatrick
Born January 1st, 1933 in Salt Lake Prairie,
between Monroe and Poteau Oklahoma, to Russell
& Cora Mackey. She left this earth on April 3rd, 2019
surrounded by her family.
She was preceded in death by her parents Russell & Cora
Mackey, Sister and Brother in law Betty & Carl Durant, brothers James
Mackey and Vernon Mackey, and Great Grand Daughter Makayla Stanton.
She is survived by her husband Leroy Kilpatrick, Brother Don
Mackey, Sister and Brother in law Agnes Mackey Kersh and Rufus Kersh, Children
Robert (Bobby) Norton & wife MareAnn, daughter Lynda Kaye Norton Brown and
husband Bill Brown, Grandchildren April Bridgewater and husband Jeremy, Rebekka
Owens and Husband Nick, Jeffrey McElroy and wife Abby, Jessica Smith and Husband
Billy, Elizabeth Kelly and husband Forrest, Laura Seltmann and husband
Mike. Lots of great grandchildren and
more family than one could imagine.
Grace; unmerited divine assistance given to humans for their
regeneration or sanctification: a virtue coming from God; enjoyed through
divine assistance. Bernice is the
epitome of grace.
She was the oldest daughter of 6 children, which meant she
would take on rolls that many would admire.
She has lived her whole life taking care of others, spreading the word
of god, and enjoying every moment. She
worked as a program Director for Community Integrated Services, Inc., where she
provided vocational services to persons with developmental disabilities,
emotion and physical problems.
Bernice was a supervisor at Lloyd E. Rader Children’s
Diagnostic and Evaluation Facility in Sand Springs. This is where her love of
helping people really bloomed. She
Supervised many areas, including Social, Medical, Psychological, Dental, and
Educational units. She was a born
leader, and people took notice. She soon
took a State Board and was promoted to Eligibility worker, and then Food Stamp
Supervisor.
She attended college
at ECU, obtained Bachelors in Human Resources/Psychology with a minor in Social
work, while working in the Financial Aid Office. She then moved to OSU and obtained a Master’s
Degree in Psychology/Rehabilitation, all while providing tutoring for Master’s
Degree Foreign Students through the Work Study Program.
She was a Counselor for Tulsa Senior Services, where again,
her talents were used for good. She
would help Elders arrange for needed services and make sure they were taken
care with medical and homemaker needs.
Bernice served as a Counselor in Vocational
Rehabilitation. She would help people with
handicaps, disabilities, and developmental delays where they were
economically/educationally deprived. She
helped develop programs and services designed to prepare her clients with
employment, health care needs, and even made sure the clients were meeting
their optimal potential.
She joined the
Coast Guard Auxiliary, where she found herself on patrol saving property,
assisting in marine safety and environmental protection, educating the public
in boating safety and much more. She was
called to serve, and she did so in many ways.
Bernice loved to entertain, and some of her favorite hobbies
included; visiting with friends and family, walking, gardening, sewing,
studying the bible, watching documentaries, cooking, and of course, her
favorite, attending church.
She would make it her life’s mission to help others, a
mission and vision that would pass on to her grandchildren and even great
grandchildren. Many people have had the
benefit of knowing Bernice, and she has touched more lives than we will ever know. Her memory will live on through the work we
continue to do for others, and she will be so proud once we too have the
homecoming that she so desires for us all.
One of the last things Bernice would say is that she is ready for her
homecoming, and how beautiful it would be.
Services
will be 9:30 am Saturday, April 6, 2019 at Harvest Time Assembly of God, 1511
S. 81st Ave., Tulsa, OK and 3 pm, at Evans Chapel of Memories, Poteau, OK
with interment following at Slatonville Cemetery.
2 comments:
you will be missed sorry for your loss to the family
sorry for the loss from paula eckman
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