Shirley Pittman, 92, went on to be with her Lord and Savior on October 21, 2023, at her home in Wister, Oklahoma.
She was born to James and Alice (Towner) Mallon on November 24, 1930. She grew up in Long Beach, CA where she discovered a love of horses. As a teenager, she worked as a trail guide in the San Bernardino Mountains every summer. This love of horses brought her and her husband, Leroy Pittman, together. They married in 1950 and moved to Wister, OK five years later.
Shirley always worked hard to take care of her family. Besides working on their ranch and raising their children, she had many various jobs such as working at a garment factory, Wister Senior Citizens Center, Wister Head Start, and KIBOIS working with the developmentally handicapped. They even owned and operated Pittman’s DX Service Station and the Bold Valley Horse Farm. She only retired at the age of 77 due to Thyroid cancer that left her with a laryngectomy, and even then, she continued to volunteer where she could.
That was Shirley after all, she was a caregiver. It didn’t matter if it was family, neighbors, those she worked for, or even animals and plants, she was always there to take care of you. While her children were in school, she served as a 4-H leader and worked hard to organize events for them. She was a faithful friend to all who knew her, and strangers were never strangers for long. Shirley loved to serve in her church, and after retirement, she volunteered at the EOMC hospital auxiliary. At home, you could find her making stuffed teddy bears for patients. She enjoyed many types of crafts such as ceramics, leather crafting, and machine embroidery, but her favorite crafts were the gifts she made for others.
Shirley was preceded in death by her husband of 69 years, Leroy Pittman, her parents, and her brother, John Mallon. She is survived by her children: Gary and Elsa Pittman of Plano, TX, James (Rick) Pittman of Fort Smith, AR, Elisabeth and Paul Speake of Wister, OK, and Daniel and Susan Pittman of Anadarko, OK; her grandchildren: John and Mindy Pittman, Mark and Sarah Pittman, Joseph and Cheryl Speake, Philip and Shannon Speake, and Lydia and Matthew Roland; and her great-grandchildren, Elle, Anne Charlotte, Johnny, Jake, Allie, Caleb, Emma, Samuel, Jane, Alice and Charlie.
Friends are invited to visit with the family and celebrate her life on Saturday, October 28th, 2023 from 1:00 to 2:30 pm at Grace Manor Funeral Home in Poteau, OK. The family will have a private service and burial after. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Gideon’s in her memory at www.sendtheword.org
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