Geraldine Byrd

Geraldine McElroy Byrd was born Feb. 19, 1933, to Ernest and Mae Whittiker Crase of Bokoshe and passed away on Nov. 19, 2018. She received her grade school education at Flower Hill and graduated from Spiro High School in 1950. She worked for a short time at the old Colonial Hospital in Fort Smith, Ark. before it became Holt Krock Clinic. She did housework for a family in Fort Smith before her marriage to William McElroy of Keota. Together they operated a dairy farm east of Stigler and later ran a service station in Keota. After her husband, William, passed away in 1992, she met and married Elva Byrd in 1999.

She is survived by one daughter, Glenda Meek and husband, Jim, of Okmulgee; four sons, William McElroy, Jr. and wife, Linda, of Tulsa, Doyle McElroy and wife, Debbie, of Stigler, Gary McElroy of Dallas and Scott McElroy of Oklahoma City; five grandchildren, Karen White and husband, Travis, of Sayre, Loretta Smith and husband, Jason, of Tulsa, Nick McElroy and wife, Julie, of Fort Smith, Ark., Jennifer Rose Tanner and husband, Jeremy, of Claremore and Mary Tanner and husband, Craig, of Claremore; eight great-grandchildren, Jonathan and Alex White, Heavyn and Heath Hamilton, Blake and Timmy Rose, Edward Smith and William James McElroy; one great-great-grandchild, Austin Smith; two step-sons, Randy Byrd of Lequire and Larry Byrd and wife, Sandy, of Tamaha; three brothers, Kenneth Crase and wife, Ruby, of Sperry, Ronnie Crase of Bokoshe and Donnie and wife, Karen, of Sperry; two sisters Alice Lindenau and husband, Jim, of Claremore and Wanda Hammons and husband, Gary, of Tulsa; aunts, uncles, cousins and a host of nieces and nephews; one special sister-in-law, Ann Wood of West Virginia.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, William and husband, Elva; one brother, Herman Crase; two sisters, Lavern Mott and Helen Statham; one sister-in-law, Johnnie (Tottie) Crase; two brothers-in-law, Benny Mott and Paul Statham and two nieces, Amy Hammons and Christie Crase.

She enjoyed being with her family, doing yard work and always enjoyed pretty flowers.

Funeral services will be held at Mallory Chapel on Saturday, Nov. 24, 2018, at 10 a.m. Bro. Larry Poindexter and Bro. Virgel Cantrell will be officiating. Burial will be at Keota Cemetery under the direction of Mallory Funeral Home.

Pallbearers will be Billy, Doyle, Gary, Scott, and Nick McElroy and Jim Meek.

Honorary pallbearers are grandchildren and Wayne Cantrell, Mark Lashley, Neal Yost, Randy Byrd and Larry Byrd.