Thursday, April 26, 2012
Ruth Ann [Dodson] Lair
CYRIL Funeral for Ruth Ann Lair, 72, Cyril, will be at 1 p.m. Friday at First Baptist Church of Cyril, 213 W. Main.
Burial will be at Cyril Celestial Gardens under direction of John M. Ireland Funeral Home and Chapel.
Ruth passed away Monday, April 23, 2012.
She was born on July 19, 1939. With a saddened heart and wonderful, happy memories, today we mourn the loss of our beloved Ruth Ann Lair of Cyril.
Ruth Ann is survived by her immediate family including husband, Kenneth Lair, of the home; her daughter, Thresa [Lair] Hicks, of Cyril; and her son, Kevin Lair, of Oklahoma City. She is survived by a grandson, Rusty Turner, his wife, April and daughter, Eloise, of Oklahoma City; and a grandson, Jonathon Hicks and girlfriend, Megan Caldwell, of Lawton. Ruth Ann is also survived by her sister, Margaret Jo Callahan and her husband, Kent, of Blanchard; and her brother, Gary Dodson and wife, Connie, of Cordell. Ruth Ann is also survived by many great-nieces and great-nephews, cousins and in-laws whom she treasured and adored: Krista and Eddie Harrison; Nicole, Danny, and Blake Whitmer; Danielle and Madison Harrison; and Eric Harrison, and Brian Callahan, all of Blanchard; Gerard, Christy, Morgan and Cord Dodson, of Cyril; Monty Dodson, of Lawton; JeanAnn Dodson, of Stillwater; Cody and Heather Dodson, Bayleigh Works, and Tripp Dodson, Elgin; Monty, Christina, Connor, and Alex Guthrie, of Washington, D.C.; Lori, Ronnie, Cailin, and Clay Wright, of Velma; and Brooke Dodson, of Cordell. Survivors also include JoAnn Schultz, of Anadarko; LuAnn and Jimmy (Duck) Worthley, of Marlow; Carol and Terry Butler, of Verden; Lori and Butch Hannagan, of Anadarko; Casey Castillo and Ryan Schultz, of Verden; Chris Schultz, and Curtis, Crystal, Brieanna, Ashlyn, and Conner Vazquez, all of Anadarko; Amanda and Jake Henderson, Colby Vasquez, and Kaley Henderson, of Anadarko; Nickie Tripp, of Yellville, Ark.; Craig, Lindsey, Katelyn, Josh, Jacob, and Brooklyn Worthley, and Tommy, Heather, Jamyson, Isaac, Madyson and Avery, all of Marlow.
Ruth Ann started working as an official court reporter in 1958 at the Caddo County Court House, in Anadarko. She loved her work and all the people she met and particularly those she was able to help. She retired once only to be called back, which she loved, and served until she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Along the way Ruth Ann was heavily involved at the state level with the Oklahoma Court Reporter's Association and to a lesser degree with the national association. She loved attending the conventions so she could see all her many friends. Throughout her career she was honored to receive many awards and hold many positions in the court reporters' associations including Oklahoma Court Reporters [OCRA] President 1985-1986, Reporter of the Year 2001, and she received the Dedicated Service Award in 2011. She was a member of the Association for the last 30 plus years and she held every position on the board, with the most recent being a director after stepping down from the secretary/treasurer position this past summer. She had been secretary/treasurer from 2004. Ruth Ann was also a member of the National Court Reporters Association since 2004 and worked to help create awareness and assist in lobbying efforts and the annual phone-a-thon. Ruth Ann was proud to be included and represent Caddo County in the beautiful Oklahoma Courthouse Legends coffee table book released in 2011. Moreover, she was proud to be the last court reporter in the state of Oklahoma to use shorthand and a recorder in the court room instead of the now current computer technology.
One of her great joys was being a part of the Beta Sigma Phi ñ Tau Master Chapter in Anadarko. As a member of the organization since 1971, Ruth Ann was honored to hold many offices over the years, including chapter president [1983-1984, 1994-1995, 2005-2006, and 2006-2007] She was also honored to receive many awards during her membership such as Order of the Rose, Silver Circle, Valentine Empress [1993, 2006], and Girl of the Year [1991, 1993, 2001, 2005].
Ruth Ann was also a founding member and officer of the Cyril School Foundation. She was proud to work hard to help the foundation raise money for new equipment and technology solutions for the school district. While she loved and enjoyed her work and her involvement with philanthropic and civic organizations, her greatest joy in life was her family and her friends. Ruth Ann always had a warm smile, a kind word, and a loving, gentle touch, and an infectious unforgettable laugh for everyone. Our hope is that this is the way you will always remember her and honor her by letting her love warm you and encourage kindness to others. The family of Ruth Ann Lair. |
