Fern (Pendergraft) Vanpool

Fern Pendergraft Vanpool, age 95 and widow of George D. Vanpool, died on July 3, 2015, in Miami, OK, following a broken hip. She was born December 13, 1919, on the family farm three miles east of Miami, OK. She was the daughter of Thomas Audus Richard Pendergraft and Mamie Josephine Buttram Pendergraft, who in 1914 had moved to Ottawa County by wagon and buggy from McDonald County, MO. Fern attended the one-room Long View School, also known as the Yellow Dog School, from grades one through eight. After completing the eighth grade, she enrolled in Miami High School, graduating with the Miami High School class of 1936 when she was age 16. Fern and her mother attended the Elm Creek Sunday School, a rural non-denominational Elm Creek Sunday School which was formed before 1900 to provide a place of worship for the local farming community. It was there that she met her future husband. On December 4, 1937, when Fern was age 17 and George Vanpool was age 20, they were married by long-time family friend Elder Frank Kaiser, a local grocer and LDS minister, at his home in Miami, OK. The couple rented land known as the O. W. Brown place northeast of Miami. Fern’s parents had given them one cow as a wedding gift, and George’s parents had given two cows and one horse, and they immediately began farming, raising chickens, gardening and milking cows. After two years they welcomed the first of their five children. In 1942 they rented a second farm known as the Sullivan place, located two miles south of Quapaw. In 1947, Fern and George bought the home and land from the Alfonso Greenback estate. George and his parents were members of the First Christian Church in Miami, and after her marriage Fern joined George’s church. She and George also attended the Elm Creek Sunday School. Early in her marriage Fern joined the Ottawa County Home Demonstration Club. The organization emphasized homemaking skills, and they had a large presence at the county fair. Fern’s entries often won blue ribbons, and she was still entering winning exhibits in jelly making and pie baking at last fall’s fair, in 2014. In April 2015 she received a certificate honoring her for 69 years of continuous membership in what is now named Oklahoma Home and Community Education, Inc. As her children grew, Fern became active in 4-H Club work and helped them with speeches, demonstrations, and talent shows. At an awards ceremony in 1963 in Stillwater, she was named Outstanding 4-H Club Leader for the State of Oklahoma. Fern was a devoted keeper of family history. She co-authored two family history books, and provided information to numerous other authors who were compiling family histories. She was also active in the Pilot Club, the Miami Travel Club, the Ottawa County Historical Society, and served as a docent at the Dobson Museum. Fern was deeply patriotic and had a tall flag pole erected in her yard, where one could always see the United States Flag flying high above her house. She was a charter member of the Asa Alexander chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, served as DAR Chaplain for the State of Oklahoma, and attended the DAR Continental Congress in Washington, DC. For many years Fern coordinated the DAR American History Essay Contest for high school students in Ottawa County by recruiting students, collecting the essays, arranging for judges for the contest, and then presenting awards during assemblies at each high school in the county. She was also a charter member of William McBride chapter of the United States Daughters of the War of 1812. In 1979 George retired from farming and they built a retirement home on property located only one-half mile from the home in which Fern was born. Fern and George were able to travel, and they took trips to the Holy Land, Germany, France, Hawaii, England, Canada, Mexico, Scotland, New Zealand and Australia. George died on July 1, 2002, as a result of an automobile accident. After his death Fern transferred her membership to the First Methodist Church in Miami, where she was a member of the Tuesday Morning Prayer Group and completed the Disciple 1 Bible Study. Fern was deeply committed to the Elm Creek Sunday School, and upon its closure in 2012, she wrote “The History of the Elm Creek Sunday School,” which was published as a feature article in the Miami News Record on February 5, 2013. Fern is survived by four children: Mary Fern Souder (Wallace) of Overland Park, KS, John Vanpool of Phoenix, AZ, Darrell Vanpool (Paula) of Miami, OK, and Virginia Knapp (James) of Ord, NE. She is also survived by eleven grandchildren and 19 great grandchildren: Katherine Souder Burkhart (Kelly) and children Christian, Sally and Maren Burkhart of Lenexa, KS; William Souder (Elizabeth) and children Emily, Abigail, Jack and Benjamin Souder of Overland Park, KS; Fred Souder (Jana) and daughter Olivia Souder of Overland Park, KS; David Vanpool of Houston, TX; Paul Vanpool of the Mid-East; Justice Vanpool of California; Karger Vanpool and children Grace, Wesley, Elizabeth and Lily Vanpool of Midlothian, TX; Davies Vanpool (Julie) and children Grant, Trevor, Zachary and Peyton Vanpool of Langley, OK; Kristina Knapp Spears (Lane) and children Caroline, Preston and Katherine Spears of Dallas, TX; Gabriel Knapp of Dallas, TX; and Megan Knapp of New York City, NY. Fern was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, a stillborn twin daughter, Catherine Sue Vanpool, a grandson, Nathan William Vanpool, and two brothers, Lloyd Pendergraft and Hugh Pendergraft. Visitation will be Tuesday, July 7, from 6 to 8 PM at the Brown-Winters Funeral Home in Miami. A celebration of the life of Fern Pendergraft Vanpool will be held Wednesday, July 8, at 10:00 AM at the First Christian Church in Miami, OK . Pall bearers are grandsons David Vanpool, William Souder, Frederick Souder, Karger Vanpool, Davies Vanpool, and Gabriel Knapp. Honorary Pallbearers are Tom Pendergraft, Larry Pendergraft, Terry Pendergraft, Lonnie Pendergraft, Larry Davis, Larry Shewmake, Orvil Patton, Bill Wilmoth, Bob Kropp, Don Kropp, Earnest Hopper, Jerry Goforth, Bill Osborn, Bob Kline, Bobby Hayes, Joel Perry, Don Trolinger, Jerry Goforth, Ed Meyer, Ann Malocsay Pendergraft and Maxine Kropp Mayfield. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the First United Methodist Church of Miami, OK, or the First Christian Church of Miami, OK.

Fern (Pendergraft) Vanpool

December 13, 1919 - July 3, 2015