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October 8, 2012

Barbara J. Gillenwater

Nov. 28, 1953 - Oct. 1, 2012

The Express-Star

— Nov. 28, 1953 - Oct. 1, 2012



A celebration of life party, (which is an Irish wake) will be held in her memory at the Grady County Fairgrounds community building on Saturday, Oct.  6, 2012, 4pm to 7pm.

Barbara was born in Oklahoma City, on Nov. 28, 1953 to parents Everett Buchanan and Shirley A. Cosgrove.

She passed away Oct. 1, 2012.

Married twice, William Gartrell and Michael Gillenwater, she mothered two children, Connie D. Gartrell and Jared J. Gillenwater.

In 1959 her parents moved up to Alaska where she began school; in 1962 they moved back to Oklahoma where she continued school in Nuyaka (a small community west of Okmulgee), Beggs and Okmulgee.

Barbara married Bill Gartrell her senior year of high school.

She had a love for reading, and for travel. She would constantly take her kids and her nieces, nephews, and any kids who were allowed to go with her. She traveled often in the early to mid-90s to California to visit family. In 1995 she went with her son, mother, one of her sisters and her children, to Disney World in Orlando. She also visited the Carlsbad Caverns, Grand Canyon, and went on a trip with USAO to Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and England, as well as other minor weekend trips.

Barbara worked for Delta Faucet Company as a quality assurance clerk for 28 years until the plant closed in 2006; she also went to college at OCCC in Oklahoma City and Moore Norman Technology Center to get her BS in “business technologies and database management”. She participated in Business Professionals of America (BPA) and took first in state in database management and 13th in nationals in New York City in 2007. After working many temporary positions, she finally found a job doing what she loved at Severn Trent environmental services in November 2010, where she worked until she was diagnosed with breast cancer in April 2011.

Barbara was preceded in death by her father and twin brothers, Ronald and Donald Buchanan.

Survivors include her mother, Shirley A. Buchanan of Chickasha, son, Jared J. Gillenwater, of Chickasha, daughter, Connie D. Gartell, of Chickasha, two brothers, Darrell J. Buchanan and Everett R. Buchanan Jr., both of Chickasha, four sisters: Sharron K. Sursa of St. Joseph, MO., Cheryl A. Buchanan of Rush Springs, Vicki Lynn Kalkbrenner of Choctaw, and Pamela S. Walls of Wellston.

At Barbara’s request, instead of flowers was that donations be made in her name to mobile meals of Chickasha.

Cremation arrangements were under the care of Ferguson Funeral Home.

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