Bernice C. Friesner's Obituary
A funeral service for Bernice C. Friesner, 99 of Tulsa, will be held at 10:00 am on Saturday July 8, 2017 at Ranch Acres Baptist Church, 3143 S Jamestown, Tulsa, OK with Pastor Dan Doak officiating. Mrs. Friesner died peacefully in her sleep on Wednesday, June 28th in Tulsa. Bernice Vivian Chandler was born on August 29, 1917 to Charles B. and Martha A. Chandler in Gober, Texas. She married Coy Parrish in Windham, Texas in 1934 and they had two daughters Martha and Kay. They moved to Lawton, OK in 1942 where Mr. Parrish worked in transportation. Their marriage ended in 1944. She became an active member of the Jefferson Avenue Baptist Church while in Lawton. Bernice worked as a seamstress doing piecework in Lawton and at Pope’s Cleaner’s at Ft. Sill. Bernice met her second husband Walter Friesner while he was stationed at Ft. Sill. They were married and later relocated to Ames, Iowa in 1953 where Mr. Friesner was assigned as an ROTC instructor at Iowa State University. Their two sons, Walter Jr. and Stephen were born in Ames. Bernice moved back to Lawton, Oklahoma in 1960 and once again worked at Ft. Sill for Autry Cleaners. In 1964, she began an eighteen year career working for the Public Service Electric Company. She and her children were members of the First Baptist Church where she sang in the choir, worked in the nursery and taught Sunday school classes for many years. Following her retirement, she kept busy quilting, making ceramics, spoiling her grandchildren and serving her church. In 2005 she moved to Tulsa, OK where she resided until her death. She was an active member of the Ranch Acres Baptist Church. A devout Christian woman, Bernice loved singing in church choirs, sewing, making quilts, doing her crossword puzzles, spending time with her family and friends, playing Uno and Skip-bo with her grandchildren, spoiling everyone with her banana bread and chocolate chip cookies and of course cheering for her Sooners and the Dallas Cowboys. She is survived by her daughter Marty Parrish Halupnik of Cedar Falls, Iowa, her daughter and son-in-law Kay and Mike Claxton of Tulsa, Ok, her son and daughter-in-law Walter “Buddy” Friesner and Dorothy Gonzales-Friesner of Moore, OK, 8 grandchildren, 17 great grandchildren and 2 great-great grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, 3 brothers, 5 sisters, her son Stephen Friesner, a son-in-law Dale Halupnik, a granddaughter Barrie Lynn Hall, a great-grandson Matthew Clinkscales. The family is requesting in lieu of flowers please make your donations to Ranch Acres Baptist Church or the American Heart Association.
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