JoAnn Gutierrez Lester, sainted mother and grandmother, left behind her worldly and comfortable possessions on February 2, 2023 to take up residence in the hereafter.

She was a barber by trade, and an elegant barber at that. For 45 years, she made it possible for her clients to look their best, to assume an air of coiffed confidence, thanks to her delicate and masterful touch with scissors and comb. She operated her own shops in and around the city of Tulsa, grooming three generations of families while simultaneously dishing out energized servings of signature snappy repartee.

She liked the presentation of good music, spawned no doubt from her days as a saxophonist in the Tulsa Central High School band. Along with that fondness for melodies, she embraced the wonder of the written word, the righteousness of black-and-white Western movies and the freedom of travel.

Yet for all her fascinations and enchantments, there was the singular bane of her well-being. Sunshine. Early on, JoAnn took to heart a mentor's advice to avoid the sun's rays. She shunned the sun. Religiously. Forthrightly.

Oh, but JoAnn did have a tender spot, a loving fixation, really, for all members of the animal kingdom under the sun. Particularly dogs. She was a pushover for a mutt. A pooch to pet and to spoil was her definition of "paradise."

JoAnn was born in Tulsa, on September 5, 1941, to Joe and Beatrice Gutierrez. After attending Central High School and the University of Tulsa, where her coal-black hair and porcelain-white skin made her a vision of glamor, she married Terrell Lester and together they produced two daughters, Lea C (in 1962) and Taura K (in 1969).

JoAnn is survived by Lea C McCormick (and husband, Bruce) and Taura K Harris (and husband, Kerry), in addition to grandson Dustin McCormick (and wife, Kristen), granddaughter Caleigh Sullivan (and husband, Jay), great-grandson Colton McCormick, brother Joey Gutierrez (and partner, Kelly Bradshaw) and nephew Taylor Gutierrez.

One other significant survivor is JoAnn's faithful canine companion, Heidi. The mention of Heidi is a reminder that JoAnn would strongly encourage friends at this time to support a local chapter of the SPCA, rather than investing in a bouquet of memorial flowers.

Such was JoAnn's passion for and dedication to the barber profession that she unwittingly influenced the career paths followed by Taura K and Caleigh. They saw in the family matriarch the vestiges of professionalism and civility and service. She was their role model. She led by example. Not by assertion. They elected to follow in her stiletto-imprinted footsteps. Together, JoAnn, Taura K and Caleigh represent three generations of barbers. Unintentionally, no doubt, but JoAnn can be credited with launching a family business that flourishes in her enduring and endearing image.

A Celebration of Life for JoAnn will be held from 2PM - 5PM, Sunday, February 19, 2023 at 5 Oaks Lodge, 528 East 121st Street South, Jenks, Oklahoma.

Moore's Southlawn 918-663-2233