Dorothy Joan Skinner Winters

Dorothy Joann Skinner Winters presented her soul to God on September 20, 2015 to be reunited with her precious mother Nellie Geneva Crail Skinner. Joann passed away with her entire family surrounding her at the Integris Hospice House. She met Royce Dale Winters at the Windsor Hills Bowling alley in November 1964 and married him on July 16, 1965. They shared a love of dancing just like her parents had, and continued to dance throughout their marriage. “I will miss my much loved husband of 50 years whom I always teased that he ‘didn’t know what he was getting into when he married me’. “I loved my three children with all my heart; James David Winters, with his engaging personality who never met a stranger; Janna Jo Winters, my caring and sharing daughter who was also my next-door neighbor; and Ryan Douglas Winters, my tall and handsome son with his amazing inner strength that sustains him. “My three adored grand-children Andrea Renee Winters Kurtz with who loves everyone and is a wonderful mother, and husband Jeffry Kurtz; Tiffany Nichole Winters Lindley with her beautiful smile and sparkling eyes and husband Brian Lindley; and Cort Reed Winters, who always made me laugh and always said ‘I love you grammie’. My adorable great-grandsons, Rook Robert Bosma, who shares his eager to learn personality and cute little smile and loving hug; Aidan James Lindley, who is just beginning to show his kind personality; and my great-granddaughter Lily Kate Lindley who is a special little doll. I will miss them terribly. ”I was born at St. Anthony Hospital on August 10, 1933. My mother Nellie was born in New Boston, MO in 1904 and died in an auto accident in Oklahoma City in 1957. Nellie and Frank loved to dance met on the Triannon Ballroom in downtown Oklahoma City. My mother died in a tragic auto accident in 1957. I grew up in Oklahoma City and graduated from Central High School in 1951 where I was a member of the Red Skirt Pep Club and loved playing the bugle in the Drum and Bugle Corps. During the 1980’s and 90’s I became the editor of the Alumni Association newspaper, the “Sooner Spirit” and was later awarded the Cardinal Service Award for that service. Being the editor was a very satisfying and trying time but gave me an opportunity to become acquainted with many, many of the special people who had graduated from Central High School”. She had a long and varied career that began as a legal secretary trainee through the efforts of her high school shorthand teacher, Ruby McKelvey. and worked in several of the downtown skyscrapers’; in the APCO Tower for a prestigious law firm Lavage, Gibson, Benefield and Hart; in the First National Bank Building form Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance; and then General Electric as a secretary in the Cravens Building. Tinker Air Force Base was my first Civil Service job which spanned 36 years for the Air Force in Germany, the Bureeau of Reclamation in Denver, the FAA in Oklahoma City, and the Social Security Administration until her retirement in 1989 from the Office Hearings and Appeals of Social Security Administration. In 1981 she qualified as a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and joined the Malcolm Hunter Chapter. “My membership meant a great deal to me and I was fully committed to participating in everything I could. I held almost every chapter office before being elected State Regent in 2000.” During term as State Regent she along with Virginia Jimenez and Saundra Griffith spearheaded a Special project to purchase 1174 rolls of microfilm of the Compiled Revolutionary War records which are Housed at the Oklahoma Historical Society library. Saundra’s efforts obtained a $10,000 grant from the Kirkpatrick Foundation to further the project. Joann held several national offices during the 1990’s and 2000’s including Deputy representative to the Okc Veterans Hospital; Vice-Chairman of Public Relations in South Central Division and also Correspondent Docents. She was accorded the office of Honorary State Regent in 2002. She always tried to remain active in DAR activities up to the time of her death. During the 1980’s she began an home-based craft business and traveled with Royce across Oklahoma, Arkansas and Texas participating in local craft festivals. She had special fond memories of the shows in Bella Vista, AR. They also ran an antique space in the Old Public Market and several booth spaces in local Craft malls. She was an innovative designer of floral arrangements in unique and antique containers. In 2002 she was selected by the Hospitality Club as one of the featured ‘Ladies in the News’. About 70 of her DAR friends attended the luncheon to cheer for her waving small American flags as she modeled in the style show wearing her ‘special’ shoes. She also served as the chairman of the decorations committee with the Hospitality Club. Joann and Royce shared a love of traveling and camping, especially in the Colorado mountains. In 1985 they traveled extensively through Europe for 37 days with their daughter Janna. Her final years were spent enjoying her family and high school friends and returned to one of her childhood hobbies of reading. She loved to decorate at Christmas time that included as many as 6 trees showcasing her varied and extensive collections of ornaments of her patriotic spirit. Some of her most treasured ornaments were one she brought back from Germany and ones her children gave her. Shopping for Christmas ornaments specially suited for each child or grand child were time she really enjoyed. She had many special friends through DAR that included Ida Faye Eichman, JoAnn Sterling, Hettie Lane, Betty Worley, Ruth Johnson. All of her high school friends that she continued to socialize with she had deep feeling for them. A memorial service to celebrate her life will be held on Saturday, October 10, 2015 at 10:00am at the Cherokee Hills Christian Church, 6601 N. MacArthur Blvd., Oklahoma City. In lieu of flowers, DAR members may make a donation to any DAR project of their choice or to the Malcolm Hunter Chapter in her memory by contacting the State Regent, Orriene Denslow. Joann would appreciate a donation in her name to the Central High School Alumni Association newspaper “Sooner Spirit” by contacting Sammy Lovelace at the association office. A special thanks a given to the Integris Hospice House and the Corbett Funeral & Cremation, they were all so very helpful, sweet and consoling, and to the United Tissue Network. To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Dorothy Joan Skinner Winters please visit our Sympathy Store.