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Ramona Opal Baker Herren © Alva Review-Courier 05-2017 Submitted by: Glenn
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Ramona Opal (Baker) Herren was born on June 2, 1916, to Louisa (Whitworth) Baker and Ralph Baker in Enid, Oklahoma. She was born two months early at a time when premature babies had a very low chance of survival. There were no incubators in those days, so they laid her in a shoebox and kept her warm in the bread warmer compartment of the kitchen stove. Ramona not only survived, but thrived. She spent her childhood in Carmen, Oklahoma, and graduated from Carmen High School in 1934. She continued her education at Northwestern Oklahoma Teachers College (now NWOSU) in Alva, graduating with a degree in elementary education in 1938. She enrolled at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, majoring in administration at the grade school level. She married Ralph L. Herren on July 20, 1941, in Alva. To this union two sons were born, Ralph L. Herren II (R. L.) and Rex E. Herren, in Cherokee.
After college, Ramona began her lifelong career as an educator. Her first teaching assignments were in Driftwood, Waynoka and Cherokee, Oklahoma. She left education for a short time to move to Michigan to be with Ralph while he was in training for the United States Army Military Police (MP) during World War II. Ramona spent many years serving as teacher and later as principal in Tonkawa, Oklahoma, where her husband was a professor at Northern Oklahoma College. Her formal career in education ended in 1979 after 35 years of helping young people achieve their goals in life. Ralph and Ramona moved back to Cherokee in 1979.
Her informal career included travels across the country and around the world, including a trip through the Panama Canal. She traveled to every continent except Australia and Antarctica. She loved painting ceramics and pictures, sewing, cooking, writing and many other crafts. She excelled in all she did, winning many blue ribbons at the county fair in gardening and canning. Ramona was active in the First Christian Church Women's Fellowship and her sorority, Delta Kappa Gamma. Her greatest joy was spending time with her grandkids – taking them on trips and spending summers with them on the farm.
Ramona departed this life on May 27, 2017, in Norman, Oklahoma, just a few days short of her 101st birthday. She is preceded in death by her husband; parents; son, Rex; grandparents, A.T. and Hattie Whitworth; great granddaughter, Dacia Parnell; her brothers, Willford Baker, Louis Baker, and Leslie Baker; and her sisters, Elnor (Baker) Daily and Evelyn (Baker) Pennington.
She is survived by son R. L. and wife Margaret; brother Richard Baker; sister Helen Koehn; daughter-in-law Annette; grandchildren Trey and wife Mary; Michelle and husband Keith; Jeff and fiancé Jill; Andrea and husband Chet; Beth and husband Dutch; Cherie and husband Ben; David and wife Heather; Emilee and husband Josh; Felice and husband Aaron; great-grandchildren, Jordan, Grady, Jacob, Michael, Jessie, Rae Lynne, Jeremy, Caleb, Wesley, Ethan, Lily, Annabelle, Drew, Raigan, Gretta, and Riley Ramona; great-great-grandchildren, Aubree, Addie, Jalynne and Tripp.
Honorary casket bearers will be her grandchildren, Trey Herren, Michelle Vick, Jeff Herren, Andrea Horn, Beth Smith, Cherie Herren, David Herren, Emilee Bailey, Felice Palacios and longtime family friends Ron Allison and T. J. Allison. Casket bearers will be Keith Vick, Chet Horn, Dutch Smith, Ben Dunham, Josh Bailey and Aaron Palacios.
Celebration of Life Service for Ramona will be Saturday, June 3, 2017, at 1:30 p.m. at Cherokee First Christian Church with Rev. Tom Stanley officiating. Burial will be in Cherokee Municipal Cemetery. Arrangements are by Lanman Funeral Home, Inc. of Cherokee. Visitation will be Friday 10 a.m. until 9 p.m. with family present 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Online condolences may be made at http://www.lanmanmemorials.com.
Memorials may be made to NWOSU General Scholarship Fund through the funeral ho
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