Weldon Gleen Brese

March 20, 1932 ~ February 28, 2011

© Holmes-Coffey-Murray Funeral Home

Submitted by: T.D.

Services for Gleen Brese will be 10:00 A.M. Saturday, March 5, 2011 at the First Baptist Church, Bennington, Oklahoma. Internment will follow at the Old Bennington Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Bennington, Oklahoma. Serving as pallbearers will be Cale Smith, Sr., Cale Smith, Jr., Douglas Brese, J.W. Brese, Allen Massey and Mike Grider. Honorary Pallbearers will be Buddy Smith, Wayne Caldwell and Lonnie McIntyre. Family hour will be from 6:00-7:00 P.M. Friday, March 4, 2011 at the Holmes-Coffey-Murray Funeral Home, Durant, Oklahoma.

Weldon Gleen Brese was born Sunday, March 20, 1932 in Bennington, Oklahoma to Wilford Sidney and Rena (Wilden) Brese. He passed away Monday, February 28, 2011 at the age of 78 years 11 months and 8 days at his home in Bennington, Oklahoma.

Gleen grew up in Bryan County where he attended local schools. Gleen married Alpha Mildred Massey on August 15, 1951 in DeQueen, Arkansas. She preceded him in death July 28, 2010. Gleen Brese was a dedicated husband, father, and brother who always loved to spend time with his family. He loved seeing and loving on his kids, grandkids, and his great grandkids. His brothers and sisters were everything to him, and he would have done anything for them. He was an outdoorsman who loved being in the country. He had many interests in his life, including always raising some kind of animals. His favorites in his later years seemed to be chickens, goats, and cattle. He enjoyed fishing and raised catfish in his pond. He always had some type of garden project, either from large-scale watermelon farming to tomato plants in his front yard. He was a coon hunter who enjoyed raising coon hounds for the thrill of the chase. He was always up for a visit from his many friends and never seemed to meet a stranger. He was loyal to those who had helped him throughout the years. Although he only finished school through the eighth grade, do not mistake that for lack of initiative or work ethic. He had to quit school to help support his family, walking several miles to milk cows early in the morning before sunrise.

When he was able, he went on to serve his country for four years during the time of the Korean Conflict as a military policeman. Others recognized his hard work and efforts, as he was employed for many years as a construction foreman for McBride Construction and Brown and Root Construction, overseeing the building of numerous bridges, roads, and construction projects throughout Oklahoma and surrounding states, and as far away as Florida. But all during that time traveling in other states, he always wanted to return to Bennington. He was an avid supporter of the Bennington community. Gleen served as a city councilman; and, as owner of the Brese General Store, always supported the Bennington Public Schools and the many clubs in any way he could, whether financially or with other means of support. He always wanted to give back to the community and to engage the many customers from Bennington and the surrounding areas by hosting the community Easter egg hunt. There were many, many years when he and Mildred and his family would boil 144 dozen eggs to hide in the field behind the store in order to allow the community parents and children of all ages to come and hunt Easter eggs, with prizes donated from his store and from his store’s vendors who also wanted to support the community. It was a way to bring people together in the town that he loved, because he wanted to live no where else. He was born here, and he passed away here.

Gleen is survived by his sons, John Brese and wife Mary Anne of Harrah, Oklahoma, Kenneth Brese and wife Christina of Yukon, Oklahoma, and James Brese and wife Michelle of Honolulu, Hawaii; daughter, Carol Smith and husband Cale, Sr. of Bokchito, Oklahoma; grandchildren, Charlotte Giles of Bokchito, Oklahoma, Douglas Brese and wife Rebecca of Bokchito, Oklahoma, Lauren Brese of Honolulu, Hawaii, J.W. Brese and wife Audrie of Edmond,Oklahoma, Lise Grider and husband Mike of Moore, Oklahoma, David Brese of Fort Worth, Texas, Daniel Brese of Yukon, Oklahoma, Susan Brese of Yukon, Oklahoma, Julie Smith of Bokchito, Oklahoma, Cale Allen Smith, Jr.and wife Crystal of Bokchito, Oklahoma; great grandchildren, Travis, Russell and Rena Ann Tomson of Bokchito, Oklahoma, Timothy Brese of Bokchito, Oklahoma, Denise Giles Durant, Oklahoma, Leyna, Madison and Asher Brese of Edmond, Oklahoma, Tyson and Karisa Grider of Moore, Oklahoma as well as many other relatives and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, Wilford and Rena (Wilden) Brese; wife, Mildred “Pete” Brese; son, Gerald Brese; brothers, R.H., Sidney, James, Lindsey, Charley, Earl, and Merle; sisters, Mildred Green, Hazel Griffin, and Corrine Smith.