Kay County OK Obit for: Norma Lee (Osteen) Cook ************************************************************************ USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/kay/kay.html http://www.usgwarchives.net/ *********************************************************************** Submitted to the archives by:Claudia Thiry, workfarm@kskc.net Date submitted: 3/10/2003 Transcribed from the Ponca City News, http://www.poncacitynews.com/ *********************************************************************** Norma Lee (Osteen) Cook Norma Lee "Ozzie" Osteen Cook of Sedan, Kan., and former Ponca City resident, died Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2003, at the St. John Medical Center of Tulsa. She was 71. A graveside service will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, Feb. 3, at the St. Mary's Cemetery adjacent to the IOOF Cemetery in Ponca City. The Rev. Chrysostom Ah Maung, pastor of St. Roberts Catholic Church of Sedan, will officiate. Services are under direction of Grace Memorial Chapel. Ozzie was born May 22, 1931, in Thomas, the daughter of the Rev. and Mrs. Elijah Osteen. She was educated in various cities in Oklahoma as her father served the Free Methodist Church, including Thomas, Newkirk, Stillwater and Ponca City. She later attended Ponca City Business College and took extension courses from OSU of Stillwater. Ozzie and Steve Cook were married Dec. 1, 1948, establishing their home in Ponca City where Steve was an independent building contractor and Ozzie worked for Rowe's Drug Store as a bookkeeper. She also kept the books for Sherm Wittmer and clerked at Harter's Dress Shop before going to work as deputy Kay County clerk for Earl Eaton on April 10, 1967. When Eaton retired two years later, she filed for his position, also as a Republican, and won. She proved herself to be an outstanding county administrator for 16 years and was recognized statewide and nationally in her first term of office. She served as president of the Northwest District of County Clerks Association comprising 19 counties and was later elected president of the State County Clerks Association. As state president, she established the first annual school for clerks and deputies at OSU. She was recognized by the National Recorder, the official publication of county officers, and by the Byron Weston Record of Dalton, Mass., a national trade magazine, for county officers for her work with the Oklahoma Association of County Clerks in 1972. Following her service as county clerk from Jan. 6, 1969, to Jan. 7, 1985, she worked for HUD as director of tribal housing in Ponca City and Tonkawa, retiring in 1989 due to health concerns from Lyme disease. Ozzie and Steve moved to Sedan, Kan., following his retirement from Conoco. They purchased a small ranch for the purpose of raising cattle. While living in Ponca City, Ozzie was active in the Ponca City, Newkirk and Tonkawa chambers of commerce, Young Republicans, County Republican Party and the Republican Women of Kay County Evening Chapter. Ozzie also helped establish the Ponca Playhouse and held memberships in the Ponca City Chapter of American Business Women's Association (having been named Boss of the Year for both the Ponca City and Blackwell chapters), the Epsilon Sigma Alpha international sorority, the Soroptimist International, Ponca City Trailblazers, Ponca City Women's Bowling League and St. Paul's United Methodist Church. Upon moving to Sedan, Ozzie and Steve joined St. Robert's Catholic Church. She loved to read, paint, sew, cook, view nature in the Chautauqua Hills, plant flowers, have an annual garden and can vegetables. She would play her organ and sing and enjoyed all sports, especially baseball for her brother was once under contract as a pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds and Oakland Athletics. She had a special talent for creating arts and crafts and gifts for her many friends. She will be truly missed by those who knew and shared her friendship as well as working relationships over the years. Survivors include her husband of 54 years, Steve; her son, Terry and his wife Rhonda of Pawhuska; two grandsons, Christopher Cook of Pawhuska and Stephan Cook of Norman; one granddaughter, Whitney Cook of Pawhuska; two sisters, Eunice Belvin and husband Stan of Montgomery, Texas, and Pat Trager and husband Jack of Belleville, Ill.; one brother, Darrell Osteen and wife Carol of Palm Springs, Calif.; as well as other nieces and nephews. Her parents and one infant sister preceded Ozzie in death. paid obituary Published Friday, January 31, 2003 on page A3 *********************************************************************** copyright USGenwb 2003 Ponca City News, http://www.poncacitynews.com/ http://www.usgwarchives.net/ ***********************************************************************