Myrtle Brummett's Obituary
Obituary about Myrtle Mae (Bright) Brummett of Tulsa, OK.
Birth date: 07/17/1932 Date of death: 01/09/2021
Myrtle was born in Blanchard, OK on July 17, 1932 to Reverend James McConnoll Bright & Myrtle Beatrice Combs Bright. She was their first child of six. One memory she had shared with us was when she was about 7 years old & her dad was invited to preach at a church in a neighboring town & she asked if she could go with him. He told her “It’s awfully cold, sister, but if you dress warmly, you can go.” She did & thought that was absolutely great to have her dad all to herself! Another memory was that when she was about 12 years old & having only had a few months of piano lessons, the pianist didn’t show up for Sunday morning service. Her dad, the pastor, came to her & said that he needed her to play the piano that Sunday morning, but she told him that she didn’t know many songs, & he told her that she was the best that they had. He let her pick out the hymn in whatever key she knew, & that’s what they sang. Mother mostly played the piano by ear. Since her dad was an Assembly of God pastor, they served many different churches in Oklahoma, moving quite often. Myrtle lived in Beggs, Checotah, Henryetta, Jenks and Tulsa & attended her senior year & graduated from Jenks High School.
While living in Beggs, she worked at the five & dime for a while. She had a friend who worked in the telephone office there & Myrtle would visit her friend & watch her as she worked & in doing so learned how to work the switchboard. Then when she lived in Jenks she was hired as telephone operator & worked the switchboard after school from about 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Her first job out of high school was in an actuary’s office for Atlas Life in downtown Tulsa & she really loved that job. We believe that she rode the city bus to and from work. She married William Brummett in 1950 & together they had 4 children whom they raised in west Tulsa & also in Glenpool, where they built a house in the country. She was a great cook & baker & loved and cared for her family with all of her heart. She & William were faithful in church and brought their children up to follow God. They were married for over 32 years before they separated & eventually divorced.
Mother spoiled us with desserts, snacks and Saturday breakfasts. At times she would prepare chocolate gravy & biscuits for a special treat. Often for Sunday lunch she would prepare roast beef or fried chicken.
She was a volunteer church pianist and church secretary for many years, serving under her father at times & under other pastors at the Jenks First Assembly of God Church. Her work career included part-time stints at Woolsworth in Tulsa & full-time work for a couple of different banks in Jenks, including work at the Bank of Commerce. She also worked for a few years at Unit Rig in west Tulsa.
She used to sew for Susan and Rebecca when they were younger. She kept the household running smoothly to make sure the kids arrived at school on time. As a family they would visit Becky at Hissom Memorial Center faithfully or bring her home for weekend visits. Mother prepared lots of peanut butter sandwiches on little league baseball practice & game nights for Jerry & Tim & allowed Susan to participate in the Camp Fire Girls’ club & take piano lessons. She used great amounts of Tide detergent & Stanley degreaser for Jerry’s football uniforms & Tim’s basketball uniforms.
Because of neuropathy in her legs, she became disabled around 1985 & would begin to use a walker to help steady her. At one point Kenny installed hand controls to her car so she could continue to drive safely. She was a breast cancer & colon cancer survivor. She was very involved in decisions about care for Rebecca. About age 75 or so, at the recommendation of her physician, Myrtle began using a wheelchair.
For many years she hosted an annual Tree Trimming Party at her apartment & invited her grandkids and later great grandkids to come decorate her tree & then would serve snacks & give out party favors. She loved cardinals & giraffes, she loved to drink Coca Cola, & she was a faithful Sonic customer as well.
Wherever she lived, she was an excellent housekeeper & decorated her home with great care & impeccable taste. She lived many years in an apartment by herself & then after a hospital stay in June of 2018 was admitted to the Villages at Southern Hills on South Lewis, initially for skilled nursing & then eventually to long-term care. She enjoyed being there & often bragged about the good meals. She appreciated the care & kindness of the workers who took care of her as did her family. They performed their duties with such patience & compassion! On occasion, she’d even play the baby grand piano in the lobby, available for guests & residents to play. She enjoyed the chapel services & visiting with others in the dining room, prior to the pandemic restrictions. Many folks from the Villages told me of Mother’s sweet nature & sweet spirit! These last 9 months were hard on Myrtle & her family, since visits were restricted to through a window or glass door. One in-person compassion visit was allowed after Christmas, which was considered a gift from God!
She remained positive to the very end of her life. She was a wonderful Mother to all of us kids & a special Grammi & Great Grammi as well! We miss her dearly but are so thankful for the hope & promise of Heaven!
Myrtle is preceded in death by her parents, Rev. James McConnoll Bright & Myrtle Beatrice Combs Bright, a brother, Ray Gene Bright, her former husband, William Allen Brummett, a daughter, Rebecca Ann Brummett and a granddaughter, Amber Dawn Brummett.
Myrtle is survived by four of her siblings: Jim Bright & wife Jerlene of Norman, Joyce McKee & husband Bill of Tulsa, Naomi Nicholson of Bartlesville, Beatrice McKim of Ponca City & sister-in-law, Lynda Bright of Tulsa.
Myrtle is also survived by her children: Jerry Brummett & wife, Nancy of Glenpool, Susan Sanders & husband Kenneth, of Glenpool and Tim Brummett of Glenpool.
She is also survived by six grandchildren: Valerie Billingsley & husband Justin of Glenpool, Jamee Ross & husband Keith of Turley, Melinda Reynolds & husband Peter of Waxahachie, Texas, Laura Brummett of Tulsa, Josh Brummett of Anchorage, Alaska & Isaiah Brummett of 29 Palms, California.
Myrtle is survived by seven great grandchildren: Jerrica, Whitney & Broadrick Ross of Turley; Andrew & Alex Reynolds of Waxachachie, TX; Bronson & Brady Billingsley of Glenpool; and a host of nieces & nephews and great nieces & nephews & friends.
Viewing will be held Sunday, January 17, 2021 from 1-5pm at Floral Haven. Funeral Services will be held 10AM, Monday, January 18 in the Floral Haven Funeral Home Chapel.
Webcasting of the funeral service will be available starting at 9:45AM at the following link:
http://webcast.funeralvue.com/events/viewer/45325/hash:6CCEC8CC657AAAE6
What’s your fondest memory of Myrtle?
What’s a lesson you learned from Myrtle?
Share a story where Myrtle's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Myrtle you’ll never forget.
How did Myrtle make you smile?