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MARY JEAN BECK
Mary Jean Beck passed away at the age of 96 on Monday, August 19, 2019 at Senior Suites in
Tulsa, OK. Cremation has taken place and a private memorial service will be held at a later date
in Colorado.
Mary Jean was born to Edward H. and Edith (Vandergrift) Cory on November 11, 1922 in
Parsons, KS, with younger siblings Edward V. "Bud" Cory and Carol Cory Stephens. Because of
her father's career as a plant manager for Swift & Company, the family lived in several cities in
the Midwest, particularly Oklahoma.
She graduated from high school in Muskogee, OK and attended college at Lindenwood College
in St. Charles, MO before transferring to Oklahoma A & M (now Oklahoma State), where she
graduated. She began her teaching career as a high school biology teacher in Nowata, OK.
There she met her husband, Robert S. "Bob" Beck, and they married in 1946.
Mary Jean left teaching to raise her three sons Cory, John and David, at the family home in
Nowata. The family moved to Durango, CO in 1962 and she resumed her career as a 5th grade
teacher at Mason Elementary. After a number of years, she transferred to Needham
Elementary where she taught until her retirement. She was a devoted and inspiring teacher.
After retirement Mary Jean and Bob spent time traveling and visiting their sons' families and
enjoyed spending summers at their cabin at Electra Lake north of Durango. Mary Jean was an
enthusiastic participant in activities such as yoga and Jazzercise in Durango, an avid reader and
a life-long fan of country music. She greatly enjoyed cooking and no one ever left hungry if she
could help it.
In addition to her parents and husband Bob, Mary Jean was preceded by her brother, Bud Cory,
and a grandson, Marc Beck. She is survived by her sister, Carol Stephens of New Braunfels, TX
and her three sons: Cory (Cherry), Sioux Falls, SD; John (Susan), Norman, OK; and David (Pam),
Broken Arrow, OK; three grandsons, two granddaughters and two great-grandchildren.
Arrangements were handled by Serenity Funeral Home in Tulsa. Mary Jean Beck
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Sponsored by Serenity Funerals and Crematory.
1 Entry
My fondest memory having dinner at Francisco's, western band playing music, Mary Jean proceeded to the stage, requested "Okie from Muskogee", asked Bob to dance, he replied no, Mary Jean danced anyway. Bob stated to us, "That what happens when you attend Oklahoma State.
Alan Bagley
August 31, 2019
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