Mary Margaret Bulten's Obituary
With a mixture of hope and sadness we announce the passing of Mary Margaret Gibbs who went to be with the Lord in the early hours of April 24th, 2023.
She was born at the Fort Chaffee Military base in Arkansas in October of 1951. As a military child, she and her family moved a lot when she was very young. Around the time her father died, in 1956, she moved to Checotah, Oklahoma with her mom, brother, and three sisters. They did not have much financially while growing up. Instead, the family relied on one another. The trials of those early years built a bond between the siblings that carries on throughout all their lives.
Mary met the love of her life, Paul Bulten, in Houston, TX in 1980, while they were both working at Brown & Root, and were soon married on December 19, 1981. Paul explains that his attraction to Mary throughout their life together was not only for her beauty but also her zest for life and how she viewed the world. How she inspired people to do more and help others. “She understood me in a way that no one else ever had and I was drawn to that,” he explained, “We were like two puzzle pieces that went together perfectly.”
In the mid-1980s they moved to Tulsa to work for her brother Eddy Gibbs at Ameristar Fence Company. Mary and Paul have lived in the same region of Oklahoma ever since. Their inseparable bond of love and devotion to one another built ever stronger and they enjoyed 42 years together.
Family and friends were the foundation and soul of Mary’s life. She did all she could to support others and ensure that they always had joyful and fulfilling times when she was around. She loved to spend countless hours with family and doting on her grandchildren, and most recently with her great-grandchild, baby Ryan, always with a big smile and charismatic energy. Mary has left the legacy of many descendants that cherished meaningful moments with her.
Mary and Paul have 6 children, 15 grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. Her children describe her as a “firecracker with endless stamina,” “always looking out for others,” “a care taker,” “someone you could confide in,” “someone who inspired others to come together and do things they may not have done otherwise.” “She was fiercely protective,” “giving, loyal, and incredibly smart.” “She was hilarious with a quick wit, infectious laugh, and talent for spilling wine.” “She was loving and gave best the hugs,” and “even when she was not there, she was still bringing the family together which was always the most important to her. Even now she is bringing us together in love.”
When you visited their home, Mary did the best to make you feel as if you were the only person in the world at that time. She made sure you had every snack, toy, or game you could want and “No” was a very rare word for any grandchild to hear when they came to visit. In fact, inside her house Mary displayed a big sign that reads, “I can at Grandma’s.”
Mary and Paul found great joy in using their resources to provide shared family experiences. This devotion to family led her and Paul to get all the children together as much as possible which turned into regular family reunion trips every few years where all their children and grandchildren could come together and make amazing memories, from Dollywood to Disney World.
Mary had a love for traveling that she shared with her siblings. In the last 20 years they were able to experience many trips and vacations together all over the world, but she was also just as content having her sisters over to the lake house for a weekend of movies and puzzles. She cherished these sister weekends so much that each sister had her own dedicated room in the house that they were able to decorate and furnish however they wanted. Mary wanted them to know that her home was also their own home away from home.
As much as she loved her siblings, children, and grandchildren, anyone who knew Mary understood that her greatest love, outside of her love for God, was for her husband, Paul. Mary and Paul could often be found watching movies together, eating together, talking together, traveling together, sharing all of their spare moments together. Mary could often be heard speaking proudly about Paul’s career, his impact on his industry, and the people in his life. She would often say she could not imagine her life without him.
In May of 2022, Mary had a major health scare that almost claimed her life. Her road to recovery afterward was not always easy but she cherished every moment with the outlook that another day is not promised, but each day is a gift from God, and one to be thankful for. We did not know at that time that we had little time left with her, before she would be with the Lord, but we are all so thankful to God that we had one more year with her.
With her passing Mary Bulten leaves behind many loved ones that were each greatly affected by, touched by, and made better by her love.
Mary is preceded in death by her mother Dorothy Mann Gibbs, her father Charles Gibbs, her sisters Patricia Richeson and Donna Mae Kester, and her grandchild Bethany Lysshua Bulten.
She is survived by her husband Paul Bulten, their children, John Bulten, Carole Yoder, Shane Richardson, Lisa Rockford, Damon Rexroad, and Alida Sanders, and their descendants: Hannah, Izak, and Gail Bulten, Josh, Jon, and Alice Yoder, Zach Richardson, Tobias Snow, Nico and Caleb Rexroad, Elijah, Ethan, Emmi, Elisabeth, and Emmett Sanders, and her great-grandson Ryan Richardson, in addition to her siblings, Eddy Gibbs and Nancy Gibbs, as well as many more friends and family than can be named.
A Celebration of Life service will be held 10:00 AM, Monday, May 01, 2023, at Floral Haven Funeral Home Chapel in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.
For family and friends that are unable to attend Mary's Celebration of Life Service, the service can be watch at the following link:
https://webcast.funeralvue.com/events/viewer/87642/hash:E4C422239A16F434
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