LESTER, Mary J. (Meadors)

Mary Johnnie Meadors Lester, 93, passed away September 10, 2010 in Norman, OK. She was born October 8, 1916 in Chickasha, OK, to John T. Meadors and Cornelia Belle Eaton Meadors. Mary attended school at El Reno, OK, graduating high school in 1932, and performed acrobatic dancing in the Chicago World's Fair in 1963. She attended Morningstar Nursing in Tulsa, and Oklahoma College for Women, graduating from OCW in 1938, with a Bachelorette RN degree. Mary was a Rosie the Riveter and built DC-3 "gooneybirds" for the war effort. She worked for Douglas Aircraft in Tulsa and TAFB. She enlisted in the WAC as an x-ray technician in January 1945 and was honorably discharged at the end of WWII. She graduated from OU in 1949, with a BS degree in Sociology, and later attended the Universities of Louisiana and Colorado, earning her teaching degree in Special Education. She was a life member in the DAV, American Legion, Eastern Star, and was a resident of the Norman Veterans Center from April 20, 2000 until Sept. 10, 2010. She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Tilman Larkin Lester; brother, Cecil Meadors; and a sister, Cornelia Davis. She is survived by her beloved son and daughter-in-law, Marvin and Glenna Terrell, of Moore, OK; five grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; and many friends. We would like to express our gratitude to all the staff at the Norman Veterans Center and Tom Amos of Heartland Hospice. Memorial services will be held at the Veterans Center Chapel on September 16, 2010, from 2:30 PM to 3:30 PM. Arrangements were made under the direction of John M. Ireland Funeral Home and Chapel, Moore, OK.