Betty Jane Shanks

Betty Jane (Wilson) Shanks, 90, of Leonard, wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend, left us peacefully on Sunday, April 9, 2023. Per Betty's request, there will be no funeral ceremony.

Born at home on August 4, 1932, in Bixby, Oklahoma (near Hectorville), to Roe Harrison Wilson and Emma Lucretia "Crete" (Gifford) Wilson, Betty was one of seven children. Betty lived in the Leonard and Bixby area her entire life. She loved her flower and vegetable gardens, crappie fishing, cooking for her family, and visiting with everyone. She rarely met a stranger that didn't become a friend. Her children say that her network of friends and family was so large, that she always knew what they had been doing before they got back home. Before cell phones, Betty kept track of Rusty at his construction sites using a CB radio. They made a lot of friends on the radio who initially knew them as "Cat Man" and "Fat Woman".

Married to Everett "Rusty" Shanks on August 1, 1951, through the years the couple would welcome three children: Everett, David, and Judy - born in 1953, 1954, and 1955 respectively. She was beloved "Granny" to four grandchildren: Nicole Shanks-Cagle, Josey Wales, Roy "Rocket" Wales, and David Shanks, Jr.; two great-grandchildren: Alice Ruth Cagle and Lily Ellen Cagle. Caring for her family and friends was always a top priority for Betty.

Once Rusty retired, he and Betty worked hard at home, on the farm. They also did a lot of fishing - mainly crappie fishing, at Lake Eufaula, and some trout fishing, in Colorado. Betty also enjoyed traveling to visit family. They would make stops in Arizona to visit her sister, Maxine. Additionally, trips were made to visit relatives in Needles, California and side trips to Laughlin, Nevada where they would try their luck with slot machines at the Colorado Belle.

Betty was preceded in death by: her parents: Roe and Crete Wilson; two brothers: Joe and Erbie Wilson; five sisters: Neva Willis, Sybil Long, Nora Dickie, Maxine Willis, and Lucy Mae Earp.

She is survived by: two sons: Everett Shanks, Jr. and wife, Myra of Stone Bluff and David Lee Shanks, of Leonard; a daughter, Judy Ann Wales of Broken Arrow; four grandchildren: Nicole Shanks-Cagle of Haskell, Josey Wales and Roy "Rocket" Wales of Broken Arrow, David Shanks, Jr. of Tulsa; two great-granddaughters: Alice and Lily Cagle of Haskell, as well as, many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

Her life has left an indelible imprint on all who knew and loved her. She will be missed.

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