Obituary for Charlene Grapes

Ponca City Now - September 14, 2018 4:15 pm

Charlene DeBoard Grapes

March 28, 1929 – September 13, 2018

Eursa Charlene (DeBoard) Grapes of Enid, Oklahoma, passed away on September 13, 2018, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma at the age of 89 years.

Eursa Charlene (DeBoard) Grapes was the 11th of 12 children born to Jesse Cleveland and Leota (Willbanks) DeBoard. She was born at their country home between Newkirk and Braman, Oklahoma, on March 28, 1929. She went to Vernon country school through the 8th grade and then transferred to Braman where she graduated high school. After high school she worked at a Braman bank for a short time and then moved to Blackwell where she worked in the office at Ball Hospital and later as a telephone operator for Southwestern Bell Telephone Company. Charlene married to John Aaron Grapes on April 9th, 1948, in Wellington, Kansas and they settled in Blackwell. In December of 1948 they moved to Cherokee, Oklahoma, where John began working for Hodge Smith Funeral Home. Charlene transferred with Southwestern Bell to Cherokee where she continued to work as a telephone operator. In 1961 they opened Grapes Funeral Home and operated the business until 1985. During this time, Charlene continued to work at the telephone office until she retired and helped John at the funeral home. After retirement, John and Charlene enjoyed traveling and spending the winter months in south Texas. In September of 2002 they moved to Enid, Oklahoma. Her husband preceded her in death in March of 2003. Charlene continued to make her home in Enid, spending the last few years at the United Methodist Health Care Center at The Commons.

Charlene was preceded in death by her parents; husband, John Grapes; seven brothers, Cecil DeBoard, Reetis DeBoard, Melvin DeBoard, Olen DeBoard, Lendel DeBoard, Jess DeBoard Jr., and Charles DeBoard; and three sisters, Pauline Evans, Irene Brown and Lorene Anderson.

She is survived by a daughter, Sheri Judd and husband Duane; a son, Larry Grapes and wife Roberta; five grandchildren, Aaron, Jeremy and Kelcie, Donna and Jessie, Leota and Scott, and John Robert; nine great-grandchildren, and one great- great grandchild on the way; a sister, Eileen Hamburger; and many nieces and nephews.

Graveside services are scheduled for 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, September 18th at the Braman Cemetery, with James W. Roberts officiating. Burial will follow in the Braman Cemetery.

A memorial has been established in her honor with the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation c/o Roberts and Son Funeral Home, 120 W. Padon, Blackwell, Oklahoma 74631.