Joy Michele White's Obituary
SANYO DIGITAL CAMERAJoy Michel “Shelly” White, 55 of Tulsa, Oklahoma passed from this life on Thursday, December 13, 2018 in her home, she was pronounced deceased at a Tulsa hospital with her family by her side. She was born April 20, 1963 in Tulsa, Oklahoma to her late parents, Theodore Michael Chieppo and Marilou Gano Chieppo.Shelly was a positive person to everyone whom she met, she never left a conversation a stranger. In the later years of her life she had become a positive force within the cancer community, becoming an ostomate visitor. She gave her time to help those who had become afflicted with the same disease, meeting with them after surgery to help and ease the transition to a different way of doing things in their lives. She helped to ease the minds of many people, showing them that their life would be no different with an ostomy than without. She was part of the Tulsa Ostomy Association and gave her time freely to those in need. She devoted her life to her children, making whatever sacrifices were needed to advance their wellbeing. Shelly had a love for music and could be heard singing her favorite songs, any time they were on the radio. Shelly was involved in her faith of Jesus Christ, even when feeling her worst, she attended services at her church, New Beginnings, to hear her favorite pastor speak, Pastor Phil Sallee was a positive force in her life and someone whom she learned a lot about her own faith, through his teachings. Shelly became a grandmother on May 22nd of 2012 to Kyra Nicole Turner, one of the most precious things in her life, there has never been a happier grandmother. In 2006, Shelly met Richard White, the man she would marry on September 15th of 2009, they had the kind of love that was unbreakable, they remained together until her passing. The early years of Shelly’s life were spent growing up in Bixby, Oklahoma with her parents, Ted and Marilou and her sister Edie. Shelly was not an athletic child, so she focused on her education and piano lessons while growing up, she graduated high school, making her dad very proud of her accomplishments. During her years at school she found a love for history, she knew more about the wars throughout our history than General Patton. She had started to attend classes in college but once she became pregnant with her first child, Richard Turner, her focus in life changed to the wellbeing of her child, she would later have 2 daughters, April and Katie. Her life was full of love, once married to Richard, she felt that her family was complete, she had a man who loved her more than life itself and a man who would be a father to her children. She was surrounded with a menagerie of pets throughout the years, cats, dogs, fish and a green cheek conure. Her conure was 5 inches tall but thought he was a full-grown parrot. The favorite of all her pets was her little man Legolas, he could be found with her, always wrapped up under her arm and sleeping with her. She enjoyed working outside in her garden, at least what the birds didn’t deprive her of, and cherished her Iris’s which were her mothers. She was a writer and wrote many posts to friends, always trying to make sure that everyone made sure to get their colonoscopy, she didn’t want anyone to go through what she had. Many of her friends thought she should start writing a blog, she was an eloquent writer, and everyone enjoyed what she had to write and how it was written, she had a gift. Her life was full and she lived it to the fullest, a beacon of love that extended to those she knew and those she was just meeting in her life. She was a star in the heavens and has now gone home to be with her lord and savior, Jesus Christ. She will also be reunited with her parents and our nephew, the great times they will have, watching over us from above.She is survived by her loving husband of 9 years, Richard White of the home; one son, Richard Turner of Atlanta, Georgia; two daughters, April Turner and wife Emily Catherine of Atlanta, Georgia and Katie Pann of Tulsa, Oklahoma; one sister, Edie Phillips and husband Cliff of Bixby, Oklahoma; and one granddaughter, Kyra Turner of Tulsa, Oklahoma. She was preceded in death by her parents, Theodore and Marilou Chieppo.A Celebration of Life memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 20, 2018 at New Beginnings Church, 4104 E. 151st Street, Bixby, Oklahoma 74008.
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