Published: April 26, 2008 02:59 pm      

Lota Westbrook

Lota Westbrook, 93, of McAlester, died Thursday, April 24, 2008, at Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City.

Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Monday at Grand Avenue United Methodist Church with the Rev. Dr. Charles Neff officiating. Burial will be at 1:30 p.m. at Antlers City Cemetery, Antlers, under the direction of Bishop Funeral Service.

Pallbearers include J.A. Allford, Henry Bud Curry, Brent Grilliot, Steve Lemons, Gordon Westbrook Jr. and Ron Workman.

Born April 9, 1915, in Powderly, Texas, to Robert Dee and Mary Jane Saffell Martin, her father worked in the oil fields, so growing up, she moved a number of times before graduating from Moyers High School, near Antlers. She married Ben Westbrook on April 10, 1932.

During the Depression, they moved to Fort Supply, later with her husband’s work the family was transferred to McAlester when they began building the hospital and again the family moved to Vinita.

She began working for Eastern State Hospital in Vinita and retired after a number of years as the executive housekeeper. She was a member of the Eastern Star, where she was a past mother advisor, worthy matron of the Rainbow Girls and a 50 year pin recipient.

After their retirement, they moved back to Antlers and after the death of her husband, Ben, she moved to Burgundy Place in McAlester. She was active for years in the United Methodist Women and was a member of Grand Avenue United Methodist Church. She was an accomplished seamstress, sewing all of her life for her family and friends and was an active member of the county home extension.

Survivors include two daughters and a son-in-law, Bennye and Bill Cason, of Oklahoma City, Virginia Bitting, of McKinney, Texas; three granddaughters, Linda Bitting, of Corinth, Texas, Ginger Lemons and husband, Steve, of Richardson, Texas, Molly Johnson and husband, Mark, of Tyler, Texas.

And, two great-grandchildren, Sarah and Emily Johnson, a stepgreat-granddaughter, Stevie Lemons, and a sister, Pauline Duckett, of Okmulgee.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Dee and Mary Jane Martin; a son-in-law, Kenneth Bitting; grandson, Mark Cason; brothers, Hershel and Lange Martin, and a sister, Marie Workman.