Suella Ann Barnett's Obituary
Suella Ann (Todd) Barnett passed peacefully into Heaven on April 2, 2020, leaving a legacy of faith and love among those who were blessed to know her.
She was born on September 27, 1943, in Sapulpa, OK to Edith (Beaty) and Earl Todd. Suella attended Edison High School in Tulsa, where she graduated with the Class of 1961. She always loved music and participated in choir and marching band as an Edison Eagle. The next phase of her education took her to Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, Texas as a Music Education major. During a summer break, she returned to Tulsa to take a temporary position at Industrial Fabricating Company. It was there that she met Carl Griffith, and they married in 1963. Carl and Suella were blessed with three children during their 23-year marriage. She returned to college in 1972, but with a different focus. Suella redirected her aspirations to nursing, graduating with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Tulsa in 1976. She married her second husband and the love of her life, David Barnett, in 1986. They remained happily married until David’s death in 2018.
Suella found her true calling as a Registered Nurse. Her long and distinguished career included positions at Oklahoma Osteopathic Hospital as a floor supervisor, Claremore Regional Hospital as Director of Nursing, and the Saint John’s Health System as a Home Health and Hospice Nurse. She was not only very knowledgeable and skilled but she was also known for her compassion and her willingness to go to exceptional lengths to care for a patient or family member in need. She was their nurse, but she was also their friend, their confidante, and a source of comfort during difficult times.
She loved traveling, from short excursions to local lakes and parks, to larger adventures in Ireland and Alaska. She was a member of Moose Lodge #862 in Tulsa and also of that chapter’s Moose Travelers. She belonged to several camping clubs and loved taking her RV on their monthly excursions. Her talents included sewing, knitting, and quilting, and she participated in many community groups associated with those interests. She was a member of First Presbyterian Church in Owasso, where she served in leadership roles as a Deacon and an Elder. The beautiful banners that hang in the church’s chapel to commemorate holidays were designed and crafted by Suella as a labor of love. She also participated in choir and handbell groups at the church. She attended theater in Tulsa regularly, always loving a good musical; she never missed an Oklahoma State Cowboys football game. She loved to dance, to play the piano, and sing. She enjoyed nothing more than sitting on her back porch with a cup of coffee and a good book. She embraced life and acknowledged the hand of the Lord in her many blessings.
Family was the center of Suella’s world. She was happiest when surrounded by her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. She is survived by her children Dr. Stephanie (Dr. James) Meissen and Pastor Chris (Jennifer) Griffith. Her beloved daughter Amanda (Kevin) Holland passed after Suella’s death. She is also survived by her sister, Dr. Mary Todd. Grandchildren include John Wright, Richard Wright II, Harley Neal, Matthew Wright, Tyler Chocker, Victoria (Austin) McCalister-Jones, Coleman (Megan) Leslie, David Chocker, Ian Holland, Kenneth Holland, and Nicole Holland. Suella leaves 4 great-grandchildren, as well: Parker Wright, Abram Jones, Ezra Jones, and Anya Jones. She will be missed by multiple cousins and by the many close friends that she loved as extended family.
She rejoins those loved ones who preceded her in death: her husband, David, her parents and her brother, Kenneth Todd. She was also preceded in death by her former husband, Carl Griffith.
A service to commemorate her well-lived journey will be held at Floral Haven on her birthday, September 27, at 3 PM at Floral Haven in Broken Arrow, OK. The service will be officiated by Pastor Chris Griffith, her son, and the pastor at Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church in Wellston, OK.
To view the service via webcasting use the link below:
http://webcast.funeralvue.com/events/viewer/79107/hash:70AB478C0E0BD822
Celebration of Life Service will be 3:00 PM, Tuesday, September 27, 2022, at Floral Haven Funeral Home Chapel.
What’s your fondest memory of Suella?
What’s a lesson you learned from Suella?
Share a story where Suella's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Suella you’ll never forget.
How did Suella make you smile?