Alice Lanora (Mackey) Mapel was born in the Berlin community near Sayre, Oklahoma on October 11, 1921. Alice was the second of six children born to Frank and Nellie Mackey. In 1928 the family moved to a farm near Durham, Oklahoma and lived on the farm until she was a teenager. When Alice was a teenager the family moved to Kingfisher, Oklahoma so that her and her siblings could attend Kingfisher schools. Some of Alice’s best memories from childhood were playing on the farm and in the barn on the family farm with her siblings. Alice graduated from Kingfisher High School in 1940 and married Elmo Mapel on December 29, 1940. Alice passed from this life and heard “well done good and faithful servant” from her Savior on the morning of October 18, 2023 at the age of 102.
Elmo and Alice had four daughters, Joyce, Janis, Judy, and Jeri who all graduated from Kingfisher High School themselves. During her lifetime Alice left a legacy in many areas. She was a farmer’s wife, active member of First Baptist Church Kingfisher, worked at the school in the lunchroom and was an employee of Pioneer Telephone for many years before retiring from the phone company. Alice was active in many clubs and loved volunteering at Meals on Wheels including involving some of her grandchildren in that service.
These activities can help to describe what she did, however, who she was included so much more. She loved working in her garden and brought her creativity and love for hospitality to everything she did. This included passing that creative hospitable spirit and talent down to her four daughters. Her grandchildren, great grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren brought untold joy to her life and she loved hearing everything going on in each of their lives. She was always proud of each of them and loved having them come visit with her. Her spirit of hospitality shone through her love of cooking to the point that her four daughters nominated her as the best cook in Kingfisher County. She often loved entering many of her projects which were the result of her creativity in the Kingfisher County fair earning many ribbons of various colors.
Alice was awarded the Centenarian award for thriving to the age of 100, recognized by the State of Oklahoma. In her 102 years she saw a lot of life. Including the advent of the prevalence of cars and airplanes, the advent of television, cell phones, computers, and many other events including the Great Depression, pandemics, wars, and man walking on the moon. In her lifetime she was 21 different presidents of our country. Her life has spanned from the time when farming and travel was common, including her riding a pony to school as a child, all the way to current times when the internet is in every part of life.
Alice was preceded in death by her loving husband Elmo Mapel and sisters, Hazel and Mary Jane along with brother Carl. She is survived by two sisters, Betty Satterfield and Jonell Crawford and one sister-in-law Jeanne Mackey. She is also survived by her daughters, Joyce Gammon and husband Dennis of Oklahoma City, Janis Gerken and husband Richard of South Fork, Colorado, Judy Collins (deceased husband Aubrey) of Norman, Oklahoma, and Jeri Seefeldt and husband Alan of Stillwater, Oklahoma. She is also survived by many loving grandchildren, great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren.
The family wishes to send a special thanks to the staff of Homestead Assisted Living and Russell-Murray Hospice who made a home and held special celebrations for Alice in her later years and an especially nice birthday party on her 102nd birthday recently. In lieu of flowers the family requests that memorial donations be sent to Russell-Murray Hospice, Samaritan’s Purse, and Gideon’s International.
Visitation for Alice will be Sunday, Oct. 22 from 1pm-6pm at Sanders Funeral Service Chapel. Funeral services will be 10:30am, Monday, Oct. 23 at the First Baptist Church in Kingfisher followed by burial at Kingfisher Cemetery.
Under the direction of Sanders Funeral Service.
