Reatha Ann Gaebler

Reatha Ann Gaebler was born March 21, 1936 in Vernon, Texas. She was the daughter of Enoch Elmer and Eula Mae (Earls) Barry. Reatha was raised in Vernon, Texas where she attended school, graduating from Vernon High School in 1954. Upon gradution from high school, she attended training and continued her education to become a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN). After certification as an LPN, Reatha accepted a position at the Vernon Hospital. She was married to Carl Gaebler, Jr. in Electra, Texas on June 2, 1956; the couple had two children, Carl and Melissa. The couple operated a ranch for a short time in Antlers, Oklahoma and then relocated to Louisana for a while. Later they returned to Vernon where Reatha owned and operated a nursing home. Reatha later moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1963 from Monroe, Louisiana and immediately accepted a position working for the Oklahoma Osteopathic Hospital. In 1967, she moved to her home on Keystone Lake near Cleveland. In 1973, Reatha retired from her positon at the Oklahoma Osteopathic Hospital and began providing private nursing care to elderly people in the area. She later moved to Tulsa again and then returned to Cleveland in 2000 where she has continued to resided until her death. Reatha hobbies included painting, sewing, ceramics, and gardening (both vegetable and flower). She always enjoyed returning on trips to Texas to visit her family and friends. Her favorite pastime,however, was spending time with her grandchildren which she loved will all her heart. One on her favorite saying was, "It will all come out in the wash." She was unjudgemental in her dealings with everyone and often said that what was in a person's heart was what mattered the most. She was described by her children as a great mother who enjoyed her time living at the lake and raising her family. She also enjoyed her trips to the beauty salon to get her hair done. Reatha passed away on Saturday, February 19, 2011 at Maplewood Care Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma at the age of seventy-four. Survivors are her former husband Carl Gaebler, Jr. of Owasso, Oklahoma; two children Carl Gaebler III and his wife Jan of Owasso, Oklahoma, Melissa Towell and her husband Tommy of Cleveland, Oklahoma; three grandchildren Carl Gaebler IV and his wife Nicki, Jessica Towell, and Thomas Towell, Jr. She was preceded in death by her parents and siblings Don Barry and Lenora Drennan. Funeral services will be held at 10:00 am, Thursday, February 24, 2011 at the Chapman-Black Funeral Home with Rev. Joe Conn officiating. A private family committal service will follow at the Woodland Cemetery under the direction of the Chapman-Black Funeral Home.