Cemetery Photo

Naomi Lee (Yandell) Sturm was born on January 28, 1928, in Stilwell, Oklahoma, to Robert Lee and Bertha Mae (McKenzie) Yandell.

Naomi had nine children. Back in her younger days they called her “Oma” or “Lee Oma”. She left Stilwell at the age of 23 to go to California to work for a wrestler named, Wayne Martin, taking care of his children. She did many jobs in her lifetime; picking cotton and strawberries, working at Stilwell Canning Co., motel and janitor work, anything to keep her family together.

After living in California for 12 years, she moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, where she became very involved in the Morman faith and was a Sunday School teacher for a few years.

Naomi finally decided to come back home to Adair county after being gone for 48 years. She lived with her daughter, Darline and granddaughter, Chaela, in Westville, OK, for five years, then lived with Barbara and her family in Stilwell.

Naomi loved to fish, piece quilt tops, scrapbook, work puzzle books, watch the western channel, tell many of her life experiences like how Bob Wills was the one who taught her to dance and give everyone she loved a hard time by teasing them. But most of all, she loved being able to spend everyday with her three grandbabies, Cynthia, Gabrielle, and Chaela. She always said they were her reason for living.

Naomi finished her journey here on earth to begin her journey with her Lord and Savior on February 24, 2013.

Naomi was preceded in death by both her parents, five sisters, an infant, Reba Hignite, Pauline Lysek, Lou Hensley, and Juanita Rafferty; three brothers, Oscar Jones, Levi Tidwell, and Virgil Wheeler; one daughter, Darline Mae Bowman, two great grandsons, Richard Flackman and Trevion Canchez Lindsey.

Survivors include, five daughters, Carol Alanko, of Westville, OK, Patti Hall, of League City, TX, Terry Rappe, of Victorville, CA, Gale Maghoney, of Charlotte, NC, and Barbara Bolyn and husband, Ray, of the home; three sons, William Maghoney and wife, Karen, of Desert Hot Springs, CA, Roger Maghoney, of Waco, TX, and Benjamin George Sturm, Jr. and wife, Loretta, of Westville, OK, 15 grandkids, 20 great grandkids and two special “grandkids”, Amanda Gore and Autumn Fourkiller, many nieces, nephews and loved ones.
Naomi will be missed dearly by all those who knew and loved her.

Graveside services will be held 10:00 a.m. Saturday, March 2, 2013, at Echota Cemetery with Bishop Robert Stebbins and Dan Price officiating. Final arrangements were entrusted to the care of Hart Funeral Home of Stilwell.

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