Wendy Lee Honeycutt Nightingale was born September 25, 1970 in Pasadena, Texas to Jerry Honeycutt and Wanda Lee Watkins Honeycutt. After her father’s death, her mother remarried Lonnie Deatherage. She and her family moved to Oklahoma when Wendy was a very young girl. She lived and attended school in and around the west side of Tulsa graduating from Daniel Webster High School in 1987.
Wendy moved back to Houston in the early 1990’s to live with her mother’s brother, Uncle Johnny and his wife, Aunt Julia who were second parents to her. She lived in Houston and worked as a surgical tech having the opportunity to work with the famous heart surgery pioneers, Dr. Cooley and Dr. DeBakey. Uncle Johnny was very proud of Wendy and shared this tidbit frequently.
She applied to nursing school in 1996 and moved back to Tulsa to attend TCC where she became a Registered Nurse and began the career of which she was so proud. She married Ben Nightingale in 1998 after obtaining Uncle Johnny’s blessing. In 2017, Wendy completed her BSN at Rogers State University. Her nursing career spanned 21 years and included St. John Surgery, PACU at Tulsa Outpatient Surgery Center, St. Francis Heart Hospital, ICU at Select Medical Corporation, Post-Acute Medical Specialty hospital, AMG Specialty Hospital and most recently as a certified care manager (CCM) for Purview Life Tulsa.
Wendy was passionate about all of her most important interests: her family, her friends, and her work. Her heart was for the stability and success of her children first and foremost, and she loved them intensely. She was the rock of stability for both her boys and her extended family.
She cherished her Houston connections and always considered it “home.” She was a consummate connector introducing friends to friends, business associates to each other and was extremely loyal. If Wendy was on your team, it was for life. She was the type of employee who helped the company keep its professional image in the community and she connected with her clients/patients in a unique way. Especially her “little papas” as she called them. She always loved the old men, especially the grumpy ones!
Wendy kept in touch with friends from high school, nursing school and every job she ever had. She loved life and never passed up the opportunity for a good time. She was looking forward to traveling with friends and seeing her children blossom into mature adults.
Wendy passed away unexpectedly from this life to her eternal rest on April 25, 2021 at the age of 50 years young. She passed away at her home in Bixby, Oklahoma. The hole left by her absence is as large as the Grand Canyon. We will not be able to fill it except with the memories of how Wendy impacted all of our lives.
She is survived by her sons, Trey Nightingale and Vincent Nightingale of the home; their father, Ben Nightingale; sister, Elizabeth Deatherage and her children; brother, Jonathan Deatherage; Aunt Julia Watkins of Houston; cousin, James “Jimmy” Watkins of Houston; lots of aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews and innumerable friends and coworkers who were as close as family.
Wendy was preceded in death by her father, Jerry Honeycutt; mother, Wanda Deatherage; stepfather, Lonnie Deatherage; and Uncle Johnny Watkins.
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