Lela Winifred Bray Witwer, 90, died Sunday, May 11, 2014. She was a loved sister, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother. Lela was born January 23, 1924 in Kiefer, OK to Alva & Cora Bray. She was the 5th of their 6 children. She was proud to be part of the Bray family which is well known and respected in the Sapulpa community. Lela graduated from Sapulpa High School in 1941. She married Louis H. Witwer Jr. on her 29th birthday, on January 24, 1953. Their first daughter, Winifred Lou, was born in 1954 and eight years later a son, Louis, was born. Louis was followed two years later by yet another son, Scott. Lela was a 50 (+) year member of the First United Methodist Church in Sapulpa, OK.
Lela’s first job was working at the J.J. Newberry Five and Ten Cent Store when she was a senior in high school. After she had graduated, she went to work full time at Newberry’s. It was while she was working there that a representative of Bartlett Collins recruited her to work in the offices. She then worked for the Bartlett Glass Company for 5 years and later changed jobs to the offices of Liberty Glass where she did clerical work and ran the switchboard during the lunch hour. It was while she was working at Liberty Glass that the cook introduced her to a young man that eventually would become her husband of 28 years.
In 1974 Lela’s husband, Louis, was diagnosed with cancer. Lela took care of her husband for 7 years before his passing in 1981. In 1982, after his passing, Lela became guardian of her husband’s parents and also took good care of them until the time of their passing 5 years later in 1986.
After her children had left home, Lela wanted to continue to live on the family farm where she enjoyed trimming and mowing. She lead a very active life and in the 80’s joined an aerobics class that she enjoyed for 19 years. She made many friends.
At the start of the new millennium in 2000, at the age of 76, Lela and her youngest son Scott started what ended up being a 5 year project to demolish all the old buildings and structures that were too far gone to be repaired. She really enjoyed this time because it kept her active and improved the look of her home. She and Scott developed a bond putting in all the long hours working out at the farm.
Lela is survived by her daughter Winn and Winn’s husband John Allen of Disney, Oklahoma; her son Louis H. Witwer III and his wife Karen of Sand Springs, Oklahoma; her son Winston Scott Witwer and his wife Shelly, also of Sand Springs, Oklahoma; her sister Helen Vance of Sapulpa; grandchildren Ben Stephens of Tulsa, Oklahoma; Tim Stephens and Debbie Lantgen of Disney, Oklahoma; Kyle Witwer of Colorado; Shannon Edwards of Disney, OK; Nicholas Witwer of Norman, OK; and Michael Witwer of Sand Springs, OK; great-grandchildren Ian Stephens of Disney, OK; Lilly Stephens of Fort Smith, Arkansas; and Abby Stephens of Fort Smith, Arkansas.
She was preceded in death by her husband Louis Heston Witwer Jr.; her parents Alva and Cora Bray; her brothers Ralph Bray; Howard Bray; and Max Bray as well as her sisters Jean Metcalf; and Pauline Saner.
Services will be held at 10: 00 am on Thursday, May 15, 2914 at 10:00 am. The family has entrusted the services to the directors at Green Hill Funeral Home. (918) 224-2312 www.greenhillok.com