Ann Harrison

Audrey Ann Harrison (nee Nicholson, formerly Smith) died in her sleep on Friday March 21st, 2025. A memorial service will be held on Friday March 28th at 1:00 pm at Skelly Drive Baptist Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma. But don't call her Audrey. Ann did not like the name and made sure everyone was clear on that point. She was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma to Cline Lowell and Neva Rhea Nicholson on March 29, 1936, the second of three children. She graduated Will Rogers High School in 1954 and went on to attend Oklahoma Baptist University and then Oklahoma State University, earning a bachelor's degree in business administration in 1959. During her time at Oklahoma Baptist university, she met Robert (Bob) Smith, the first love of her life, whom she married on January 2nd, 1960. Ann straddled two worlds; a domestic housewife in the style of the 1960's versus a modern businesswoman who was the primary breadwinner for her family. At Sunday dinners, she spent more time looking at everyone else's plate than her own, making sure everyone had plenty of food and spooning out more when a plate became too empty. If she was going somewhere in her car and a man were present, she'd hand over the keys and make him drive. But when she wasn't keeping the house tidy, she worked in the oil and gas industry at Williford Energy and later Newfield Energy as a Landman, excelling at a job dominated by male coworkers. When her children were young and Bob became ill, she worked two jobs for many years, sacrificing to make sure her loved ones had what they needed.These years were mentally and physically difficult for her, but she always got the job done. She continued to work long past the normal retirement age, finally retiring at the age of 77. Ann's language of love was taking care of business. Her family never had to wonder how she felt because she showed love through her actions, often through the sweat of her brow. If there is one thing to know about Ann, she did not let people down. No matter how difficult the challenge, Ann found a way to make things work. She was a giving person who routinely placed other's needs above her own. In her later years, she often asked her children if she was a good mother, and she was. In 2002, she lost her oldest child, Diana, to breast cancer. During Diana's protracted illness, and in the midst of her life's greatest tragedy, Ann was everyone's source of strength, helping with the hands-on work of caring for a dying cancer patient as well as doing her best to be a surrogate mother to Diana's young children. Her relative selflessness during the death of her first-born child went almost unnoticed, as it was just Ann being Ann. In addition to being a devoted mother and wife, she was a devoted "Grandmommy" to seven, well-loved grandchildren.Well into her 70's, Ann insisted on Sunday lunch at her house, every Sunday, which was always pot roast, mashed potatoes, and giant rolls. Her grandchildren will undoubtedly remember the smell of Sunday pot roast until their dying days. Ann always had time for her grandchildren and was always a source of strength, comfort, and sound advice. After Bob passed away in 2017, Ann found love again and married Richard Harrison. They enjoyed several happy years together, and she loved Richard dearly. Her years with Richard were among the happiest of her life. Ann is preceded in death by her parents Cline Lowell (Nick) and Neva Rhea Nicholson, her first husband of 57 years [Robert Smith, Sr.], her sister [Veda Rhea], brother Don Nicholson, daughter Diana Rutland, and second husband Richard Harrison. She is survived by son-in-law Steve Rutland, daughter Deborah Clary (husband Stephen), and son Dr. Robert Smith (wife Aimee). She is also survived by seven grandchildren: Lauren Meadors, Michael Rutland, Megan Rutland, Katherine Forthman, Abigail Clary, Samuel Smith, Anna Katherine Smith. She also is survived by three great grandchildren: Aniston, Ellis and Theo.

Ann Harrison

March 29, 1936 - March 21, 2025