Mary Elizabeth Myers Storey, born December 10, 1915 in Wapanucka, OK to John Andrew and Aliza Almira (Allie) Lahey (nee Ausbrooks), passed away on December 29, 2016 in Bristow, OK. She was 101 years old.
She is survived by her Nephew Michael W. McPeters (Susan C.) of Davenport, Iowa, Grand-Nieces Aimee C. McPeters of Chicago, Illinois, Tamara McPeters of Dallas, TX, Grand-Nephew Michael W. McPeters Jr. of Cedar Rapids Iowa, and Great-Grand Nieces and Nephews in Texas and Illinois. She was preceded in death by her Mother Aliza Almira (Allie) Myers, Step-Father Tell E. (Tim) Myers, Sister Nora C. McPeters, and Nephews Timothy E. McPeters and Paul H. McPeters, Jr.
Mary's Mother Allie (B: Feb 1895) moved from Sumner County TN to Wapanucka, Oklahoma Indian Territory in October 1903 with parents John W. and Nora Emma (nee Bradley) Ausbrooks and sisters, Jessie L. (B: Mar 1890), and Cora B. (B: Mar 1892). Sometime between the 1900 census and their arrival in Wapanucka, another female child, Nannie, was born to John and Nora Emma.
A fourth sister, Willie F. (B: Feb 1886) had married William D. (Bill) Black in Tennessee and moved to Wapanucka several months earlier. On June 13, 1904, during an argument between Willie and Bill, and after Bill struck Nora Emma leaving "an ugly gash on her forehead", he shot the intervening John W. in the chest with "number four squirrel shot", killing him instantly.
The Wapanucka Press characterized this event as, "The first tragedy that has ever occurred in or near Wapanucka", and wrote extensively about the event, the trial, and the eventual sentencing of Bill Black to life at hard labor at Fort Leavenworth Prison in Kansas "until death finally removes him from the mortal quoil". Bill Black appears in the 1910 census for the prison but not in later censuses.
Allie married John Andrew Lahey (B: 1889) and had their first child, Nora Cecilia on July 7, 1913 in Mt. Gilead, North Carolina. Mary Elizabeth came along on December 10, 1915 in Wapanucka. After another move to Henrietta, Oklahoma, John Andrew's alcohol consumption apparently had such a negative impact on family life that Allie packed up Nora and Mary and departed.
They next appear on the 1920 census in Deval, Cotton County, Oklahoma. Cotton County borders the Red River between Lawton, OK and Wichita Falls, TX. At that point in time Deval was in a boom phase with the discovery of the BurkBurnett Oil Field along with two refineries and oil pipelines, and a variety of associated businesses. Allie was a seamstress which probably fit in very well with such an economy. Also, on that 1920 census appear members of the Myers family. On February 2, 1920 Allie married Tell Edwin (Tim) Myers in Wichita Falls, Texas. Tell Edwin (B: Aug 5, 1885) became Daddy Tim to Nora (age 7) and Mary (age 5) and was fondly referred to as their Dad the rest of their lives.
Daddy Tim's work was in road construction as a Superintendent/Foreman for the Works Progress Administration (WPA), one of the work projects of Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal. There is a January 1, 1938 newspaper clipping and photo of several men, including Tim, removing the last traffic barrier opening up the final segment of Riverside Drive in Tulsa. It would be the nature of the work that the family moved around a bit.
Nora and Mary attended Tulsa schools with Mary receiving a Certificate of Promotion from Theodore Roosevelt Junior High School in June 1933 and graduation from Tulsa Central High School in May 1936. She completed the course of study at Vrie Beauty College, presumably in Tulsa, in August, 1940. She never spoke well to me, however, about that line of work.
Growing up in Tulsa myself and having my first motorcycle in 1964 at age 14, there were two routes we could take to get to Sand Springs, a little town just west of Tulsa. You could just go out Charles Page Boulevard like everyone else, or, you could take the 'back way'. The back way was Old North Road, a little winding two-lane road around and through a set of foothills that delivered you into Sand Springs from the North. It was a great route for the motorcycle and I took it often at a leisurely, and sometimes not so leisurely, pace.
Daddy Tim helped build that road. On January 15, 1941 he died on that road in a blasting accident. The newspaper clipping says that he was killed "destroying several blasting caps simultaneously". This was an especially tragic time to Mary who thought the world of Daddy Tim.
The morning of December 7, 1941 was the attack on Pearl Harbor and the beginning of the national war effort. Allie and Mary took jobs at Douglas Aircraft in Tulsa with Mary accomplishing 'final assembly' of A-26 Intruders. Nora C. had a new baby, Paul H. Jr. (B: Aug 12, 1940).
The Friday, October 20, 1944 issue of Airview News, a monthly magazine for Douglas employees, mentions a Mary Elizabeth Myers returning from a short vacation "with a well-inscribed legal paper", that is, a marriage certificate, with "Garnet P. Storey, a radioman and gunner aboard an aircraft carrier". He had "spent the last 18 months in the South Pacific and now stationed at Jacksonville, Florida". They were married on September 8, 1944.
Mary didn't talk to me very openly about this period of her life. During their short marriage, they moved to Chicago for a time which she was not at all happy about. I would guess that she was not happy without Allie and Nora close by. The way I remember the story, she came back to Tulsa for a visit prior to an upcoming move to Florida. At that point she just refused to go to Florida with Garnet and that was the end of it.
After the war Mary, Allie, Nora and husband Paul H. McPeters, Sr. purchased a duplex together in north Tulsa. Paul Sr., Nora and Paul Jr. lived in 1705 and Allie and Mary lived in 1707 North Detroit. Nora and Paul Sr. had Timothy (B: Sep 23, 1948) and Michael W. (B: Jan 2, 1950) and purchased the house immediately north of the duplex at 1711 N. Detroit.
I remember the looks on everyone's faces the moment Allie passed away the evening of March 9, 1956. She had been staying at the 1711 N. Detroit house during her struggle with cancer. She was 61 years old. Mary, Nora, and Allie had been through so much together over the years and Allie's passing was taken very hard.
Several big things then happened over the next two years. The duplex was sold and Mary purchased a house at 1429 S. Allegheny in Tulsa, a block from the northeast corner of the Tulsa Fairgrounds which was pretty far out in the country at the time. Nora and Paul, Sr. divorced. Nora, Tim and Michael moved in with Mary. Paul, Sr. moved to the W. Edison acreage. Paul, Jr. joined the Army.
After another two years Tim and Michael moved in with Paul, Sr. leaving Mary and Nora, once again, together. They lived together until Nora passed away February 6, 1988.
Mary was employed at F.W. Woolworths in Downtown Tulsa for several years after the war. Woolworths would be called a 'five and dime store' or 'variety store' then with a soda fountain and a little bit of everything else. She then worked for many years at the call center for the Sears and Roebuck Service Center, eventually retiring from there.
She remained in her home on Allegheny as long as she could but health forced her live with assistance for her remaining 7 years.
Mary was fiercely loyal to her family. The three of them - Allie, Nora and Mary - lived either with each other or very close to one another for as long as was possible. Daddy Tim was a cherished Husband to Allie and Dad to Nora and Mary and was always spoken of with admiration and respect. They were all good, honest, hard-working, Midwestern church-goers. Mary didn't have children of her own but was a wonderful and appreciated Aunt to us.
Mary didn't like being called Aunt Mary by her nephews even though we sometimes did just to get a rise out of her. She and Nora called each other 'Sis' and I believe that Allie used both Sis and Sissy with them, so her nephews and others that also loved her called her Sis.
Rest in Peace, Sis.
Service: 10:00 a.m., Monday, January 9, 2017
Moore's Eastlawn Chapel
Interment: Memorial Park Cemetery

Moore's Eastlawn Chapel
918-622-1155