Obituary for Mary Bohannon

Mary Bohannon

(October 19, 1933 – January 17, 2016)

Mary Blanche Short Bohannon passed away on January 17th, 2016, after a long bout with leukemia.

Mary’s life began with her birth to Melvin and Ruth Short on October 19th, 1933, in Dalhart, Texas. Dalhart was the location of the nearest hospital to her parents’ home in Felt, Oklahoma. The Dust Bowl and the Great Depression forced them to give up the farm when Mary was only 1½ years old. They moved to a farm two miles west of Norman, Oklahoma, where the family joined her grandparents, Blanche and D.W. Short.

She attended New Hope School, a 2-room country school. When she was in the 7th grade, the family moved into Norman where she attended Lincoln Grade School. In Norman High School she played percussion in the band and was elected Band Queen. Her baptism was in the First Christian Church in Norman, where her family was active. She continued her education at the University of Oklahoma receiving a B.S. degree in Home Economics in 1955. She was a proud member of OU’s Pride of Oklahoma Marching Band.

At OU she met, fell in love with, and married John Bohannon, who was in the Naval ROTC. They married in June, 1956, after John graduated and received his commission in the Navy. Her new husband was immediately assigned by the Navy to Bahrain Island in the Persian Gulf. There, she did her weekly grocery shopping by flying on a DC3 to the mainland. They transferred to Morocco for the remainder of John’s two-year Navy commitment. Upon their return to the United States, John participated in the intensive 1-year Conoco Petroleum Engineer training program and Mary accompanied him in their VW bug along with their infant son, Steve. She kept the home fires going through seven moves that year.

In 1962, Mary and John relocated to Libya where John went to work for OASIS Oil Company. Mary took care of their home in Tripoli while John often worked for extended periods in the desert. In 1967, the Arab-Israeli War broke out. They were forced to evacuate their Tripoli home and return to the United States. They moved to Ponca City, Oklahoma, for a short time, then to Houston for 17 years. In 1986 they returned to Ponca City. Mary loved Oklahoma and “her” OU Sooners. Mary was glad to be back!

In Ponca City, Mary’s very active membership in the First Christian Church included women’s groups and the Friendship Feast. She served on the boards of Friends of the Library and the Salvation Army. In recent years she joined the Lion’s Club, in which she and John devoted countless hours to the Lion’s eyeglass program which helps low-income individuals obtain needed eyeglasses.

Mary was especially happy in her role as a homemaker for John and her four children. Some of her hobbies included playing games with her close circle of friends, reading, doing crossword puzzles, and gardening. She and John enjoyed taking trips with her sister Roberta and Roberta’s husband Gene.

Mary’s family consists of her loving husband John, children Dr. Steve Bohannon, Jim Bohannon, Richard (Deborah) Bohannon, Jennifer (Chris Ringo) Bohannon, sister Roberta (Gene) Smith, and 8 grandchildren: Brittany Bohannon, Sean Bohannon, Brett Bohannon, Lauren Paukert, Courtney (Sam) Austin, Drew Bohannon, Paige Bohannon, and Elena Ringo.

She was preceded in death by her parents, and siblings Lucile McElreath and Robert Short.

The family expresses their gratitude to Dr. Susanna Ulahannan and staff at the Ponca City Cancer and Blood Care Center for their professional and compassionate care of our dear Mary.

A memorial service will be held Wednesday, January 20, 2016 at 11:00 AM at First Christian Church.

Burial will be private.

Source: Trout Funeral Home