Martha "Joy" Saunders' Obituary
Martha “Joy” Saunders (nee Carter) passed away at the age of 93 on Friday, November 25th, 2016. She was born in Bartlesville, OK, on October 18th, 1923, to Thelma Irene Carter and Albert Ross Carter. When she was 12 years old, her parents divorced and her mother eventually remarried to H.E. Wilkins, a widower and member of her church. His daughter, Mary Jean, became the sister Joy never had, and they remained close for the rest of their lives. Growing up, Joy studied ballet, tap and piano, and participated in many recitals. After graduating from College High School in 1941, she enrolled that fall in Christian Women’s Junior College (a two year school) in Columbia, MO, where she studied dance and stenography. Her college career cut short by WW II, she was allowed to complete the fall and spring semesters, but had to return to Bartlesville, where she found a job as a stenographer. There, she met William “Sandy” Winston Saunders; they were married on December 23rd, 1946. The couple lived in Norman while Sandy attended the University of Oklahoma. They moved to Southampton, Massachusetts, while Sandy taught and attended the University of Massachusetts. Their first child, a daughter, was born in Amherst. They returned to Norman, Oklahoma, for Sandy to complete his doctorate at OU. In 1953 they moved to Kansas where their second child, a son, was born in Garnett, KS. In 1954, the family moved to Tulsa, OK, where Joy would live for the remainder of her life. When her children were of school age, she returned to work part-time as a secretary. She was assistant Den Mother for her son’s Boy Scout troop as well as assistant leader for her daughter’s Camp Fire group. She attended numerous baseball, softball, and basketball games for both children, as well as many P.T.A. meetings. She supported and encouraged her children in everything they wanted to do, putting up with camp outs, garage bands and the various “critters” her children would bring home. In 1971, she and Sandy divorced. She returned to secretarial work full-time, even obtaining her realtor’s license and working for Rooney Realty Company in Tulsa for a while. Her last job before retirement was as executive secretary for First National Bank and Trust Company. She loved to play bridge, and continued to play with her “bridge buddies” through the years. She played organ, preferring pop tunes to the classics. She traveled to Europe with friends, and to Alaska with her mother, to whom she devoted more and more time as Thelma’s health began to fail. When grandchildren arrived, she was a doting and devoted grandmother, providing transportation, childcare, clothes, toys and lots of love. She attended numerous soccer games, cheerleading activities and horse shows, applauding and cheering loudly from the stands. She adopted an orphaned West Highland Terrier, “Bonnie”, who gave her several years of companionship and pleasure. Her last few years, as her health declined, were spent learning to paint with acrylics and making friends–and new “bridge buddies”–at Burgundy Place, The Country Club of Woodland Hills, and The Villages at Southern Hills. In 2012, she mourned the loss of her son, Allen, but in 2015, would hold her first great-grandchild, Carter Dean Harrell, in her arms. Joy, as her name describes, was a joy to all those who knew her. She had a sweet, gracious smile and kind manner; she was always interested in the lives of those around her. She had an independent, sometimes stubborn streak and a good sense of humor. Most importantly, she loved her family and leaves a legacy of love and wonderful memories, too numerous to count. We will love and miss her always. Joy was preceded in death by her father, Albert Carter Ross, her mother, Thelma Irene Fulton, her step-sister, Mary Jean Tinker, her former husband William Winston Saunders, and their son, William Allen Saunders. She is survived by a daughter and son-in-law, Carol Saunders Young and James Louis Young, of Tulsa, two grand-daughters and their husbands, Ashley Saunders Wilson and John Wilson, of Tulsa, and Ally Saunders Harrell and Chris Harrell, and a great-grandson, Carter Dean Harrell, of Keifer. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Lung Association (http://www.lung.org) or the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (https://www.aspca). A celebration of life will be held Wednesday, December 7, 2016 at 3:00PM at Floral Haven Funeral Home in the Chapel. Services have been entrusted to Floral Haven Funeral Home, Floral Shop, Crematory & Memorial Gardens, 6500 S 129th E Avenue; Broken Arrow, Oklahoma 74012. To send the family condolences please visit www.floralhaven.com.
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