Mary Rose Burman

Mary Rose (Nee Ragland) Burman was born near Valley Springs, Arkansas, on June 12, 1925, to Anne Katherine (Nee Kuzilik) Ragland and Clarence Madison Ragland. She left this life on June 20, having become just over 93 years old, to return to her home in heaven and be with Jesus. Mary was preceded in death by both of her parents, her brother Robert (Bob) Ragland and sister Lucille Hightower. She is survived by her brother Ron Ragland and his wife Bonnie, son Stan of Page, Arizona, son Steve and his husband Bob Pate of Alluwe, daughter Kathy and her husband Roger Prickett of Collinsville and son Kevin and his wife Vicki of Lynn Haven, Florida. She leaves four grandchildren as well. They are Aaron Prickett and his wife Crystal of Collinsville, Adam Prickett and his wife Cassie of Talala, Bryan Burman and his wife Kristy of Chelsea, Alabama and Stuart Burman and his wife Amanda of Washington, D.C. She was additionally blessed with eight great-grandchildren, Will, Molly, Mason, Sophia, Hannah, Caleb, Rachel and Tyndall Rose. She is also survived by her dear cousin Martha Sue Kuzilik of Jenks, cousin Mary Alice Bassett of Costa Mesa, California, cousin Jimmy Kuzilik and his wife Patsy of Heber Springs, Arkansas and many wonderful and adored nieces and nephews. During the early years in her life, the family moved may times between several homes in the Harrison, Arkansas, area and Tulsa. At some point in the mid-1930’s, the family settled in a home on the Sand Springs “line” as the street car service from Sand Springs to Tulsa was known. She attended Roosevelt and Mark Twin schools and graduated from Central High School in 1944. She took on various jobs in Tulsa including that of a Bell telephone operator, a saleswoman for the Tick of Time, owned by her father, and a saleswoman at a flower shop. It was at a USO dance in late 1943 or early 1944 that she met Lt. William (Bill) Paulsen of Salinas, California, an officer in training at Camp Gruber near Muskogee. They fell in love and were subsequently married in the Rose Room of the Boston Avenue Methodist Church in Tulsa. They moved to a small apartment in Muskogee while Bill completed his training. It was only several weeks after the marriage that Bill left to serve in the European Theater of WWII. She distinctly remembered the morning he left their apartment and the sound of his steps on the stairway as he departed. She never saw him again. A short time after his departure, she moved to Salinas and took up residence with Bill’s parents, Josephine and William Paulsen. She loved the short time she spent living there with them. On December 20, 1944, Bill was grievously injured near La Roche-en-Ardenne, Belgium, by shrapnel generated by fire from an enemy tank during the advance of the axis army known as the Battle of the Bulge. Bill died in a field hospital two days later. In January 1945, Mary was at home with the Paulsens when the telegram arrived announcing Bill had been injured. It was over six weeks later when two army officials arrived at the door. Words were not necessary. Mary soon returned to Tulsa. It wasn’t very long before a meeting was arranged for her with a previous customer at the flower shop. That meeting blossomed into a serious romance, and Mary and Alfred Burman were soon married in Meridian, Texas, on June 5, 1946. Mary and Al made their home in nearby Clifton and became a larger family when Stan was born in August of 1947. It was sometime later that circumstances dictated a move back to Tulsa where the family took up residence on East Independence Street, and they became charter members of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church on Eleventh Street. It was in March 1951 that Al became an employee of American Airlines, and their fortunes dramatically improved. Simultaneously, they decided to foster infants for the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (DHS) and provided care for at least four children in the interim time between their births and placement in permanent homes, usually two to four months. That is, until Steve showed up in June of 1952. Well, now a bigger house was needed, and it was off to a new home on East King Place. Hardly having moved in, Kathy arrived in November 1953, and then Kevin, all 11 pounds of him, arrived in November 1955. Kevin was in such a hurry to greet the world that Mary was afraid he’d been born in the car on the way to the hospital. The only thing she had to wrap him in was Al’s winter coat, and it was her worst fear Kevin would be turned blue from the dye in the furry lining. Six people in a small house make for a lot of fun and sometimes, not so much fun. It was time to find another place to live. Mary and Al wanted lots of room and space for the kids to play and it was off to Owasso where they found five grand acres to build a new home. Mary promptly named the property “Bellyachers”! Not long after moving to Owasso, Mary and a new friend noticed the lack of a library in town and went to work. Within a matter of weeks and with the help of the elementary school principal, they had secured an empty classroom in one of the school buildings. Then they put out the call, “lend us your books,” and books poured in. Naturally, all the books left the Burman home; and in the summer of 1962, Owasso had its first public library. Several years later with continued work by Mary and her friend, this library was incorporated into the Tulsa City-County library system; and a new library was opened in Owasso on First Street. As the four kids were growing up, Mary often planned and executed family trips to places all over the United States. Favorite places included the east and west coasts with a decided preference for California. No surprise there! Yosemite National Park became a treasure to all. Northwest Arkansas, naturally, was a terrific place to go along with several of the beautiful Oklahoma lakes. With the encouragement and perspective she fostered, all four kids grew to love the beauty and appreciate the special nature of our country. There were many years here of joy, happiness, some minor tragedies, pain, growth and living life to its fullest. With the four kids growing, Mary wanted to continue with a long-time love of hers – taking care of infants; and with the acceptance and encouragement of the whole family, DHS was contacted again, and the family was interviewed. Not long afterward, the babies started arriving. With Mary at the helm, 10 more babies came and went over the next several years. It wasn’t long after Stan left for college that DHS proposed to the family that we all take in a teenage girl who was bouncing around the system and was very unhappy. Mom was the cheerleader for taking on another family member, and it wasn’t long before Becky arrived. With lots of love and compassion and encouragement, Becky stayed with the family until deciding to strike out on her own after turning 18. Stan went on to become an Air Force F4 fighter pilot. Steve became a flight attendant for American Airlines. Kathy became a public school teacher. Kevin became an Air Force F15 fighter pilot. Needless to say, they all flew the coop. Well, Kathy maybe, not so much. In 1980, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod was looking to begin a mission church in Owasso; and Mary and Al, along with several others, took up the call. It wasn’t long before Faith Lutheran Church was established where Mary and the rest of the family became charter members. In the late 1980’s, Mary was devastated by a life event that left her heartbroken and bereft. Blindsided, Mary slowly regrouped with the love, encouragement and support of many wonderful people. She left the home she helped build and where she had reared four children after almost 30 years and moved into an apartment in Owasso. She remained there for almost 12 years and then moved into a duplex in Collinsville. Even with the pain, Mary continued to do the things that brought her joy. She continued to donate blood to the American Red Cross; and over time, she donated over 120 pints. She attended bible study at Faith Lutheran Church which she loved. And she studied her bibles, all six of them until one by one, they fell apart. She assisted with Meals on Wheels for a period of time. She made Christmas ornaments and gave them away. She traveled to Europe. She traveled many times to visit the kids and distant friends. She donated time and money to a number of worthwhile charities and causes as well as her church. In 2007, Mary’s health took a turn for the worse. After a stay in a local hospital, she agreed it was time she needed to not live alone. She became a resident of Homestead in Owasso and after a little more than a year, with certain issues arising, it was decided Frances Streitel in Collinsville was a much better fit for her, and she moved there in 2008. As she slowed down, she never lost her keen sense of humor. Even as she became increasingly weaker, she kept up the banter with staff and attendants both at the assisted living center, the last stay at St. Francis and finally at the skilled nursing care center were, exhausted, she went home. It was a life well lived. Arrangements and services were entrusted to Mowery Funeral Service of Owasso www.moweryfs.com

Mary Rose Burman

June 12, 1925 - June 20, 2018