Funeral services for Bettie Flanagan Black, 86, of Ardmore, formerly of Ada will be held on Thursday, April 11 at 2pm at First United Methodist Church Ardmore. Dr. David Daniel will officiate. Burial will follow at Memorial Park Cemetery, Ada. The family will receive friends from 5:30 p.m. -7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Craddock Funeral Home, 525 S. Commerce, Ardmore.
Bettie Flanagan Black, 86, died on Sunday, April 7 at Mercy Memorial Hospital surrounded by friends and family.
Bettie was born to Charlie and Jewell Flanagan on October 8, 1932 south of Ada and graduated from high school at Stonewall, OK, in 1950. She attended East Central University for two years, married Donald Black in 1952, and they had two children. She worked part time at Farmers Home Administration, Ada Times Democrat, Meads Bakery, First United Methodist Church Pre-school and returned to East Central University when her youngest child began school. She graduated from East Central University in June of 1967 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education. She began teaching in the Ada City Schools and pursued a Master’s degree in Education with a specialty in counseling which she received in July of 1970 and became a counselor in the Ada City School System. She moved to Ardmore in 1983 and taught two years in the Ardmore City Schools. She became a Licensed Professional Counselor and transferred to Plainview Schools in 1985 where she was the high school counselor. After retiring in 1991 she worked for two years as a counselor in a treatment center for adolescents referred by the court system. Following those two years she returned to Plainview as part-time counselor in the elementary.
During her time as an educator she was very active in state and national teacher associations. She served on the Board of Directors for the Oklahoma Education Association for eleven years, two of which as vice president. For six years she also served on the Board of Directors of the National Education Association and three years on the Constitution and By-Laws Committee for NEA, chairing the committee one year. During retirement she served as president of the Carter County Retired Educators Association and worked with NCATE, the National Committee for the Accreditation of Teacher Education.
She attended the First United Methodist Church of Ardmore. There she helped start the Stephen Ministry and a counseling ministry.
In her spare time, she loved riding on the back of Donald’s motorcycle across the US and accompanying him on bicycle tours.
She is survived by her husband; two children, Don Black, Jr. and Karen Black, both of Ardmore; two brothers, Bob Flanagan and Tom Flanagan; six grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
Criswell Funeral Home
