Ella Mae Yandell of the Lovings Community was born June 9, 1934 in Dora, Missouri to Roy and Effie Melveda (Sutterfield) Branscum and passed away on September 16, 2023 at her home in the Lovings Community at the age of 89.
She is survived by:
Two daughters:
Denise Stacy of Howe, Oklahoma
Elisia Naylor of the Lovings Community
Four sons:
Royce McGee of Heavener, Oklahoma
Mike McGee of the Lovings Community
Russell McGee of Red Oak, Oklahoma
Randy Yandell of the Lovings Community
One sister:
Helen Maloy of Heavener, Oklahoma
Two brothers:
Alvin Branscum and wife Claudiette of Whitesboro, Oklahoma
Doug Branscum and wife Jackie of Poteau, Oklahoma
Numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren
Numerous nieces, nephews, other loved ones, and a host of friends
She was preceded in death by her parents, Roy and Melveda (Sutterfield) Branscum; her husband, Bob Yandell; three sons David, Terry, and Tony McGee; a great-grandson, Pepper McGee; and a great-granddaughter, Lola McGee.
Ella Mae had a variety of names and nicknames that many different people bestowed upon her. Wife, Mother, Grandmother, Sister, Aunt, Ellie, Tootles, My Not So Hateful Mom, Grams, Nana, Mae, The Mighty Deer Slayer, but the one she liked the most and the one that fit her the best was "Mountain Woman". While attending Hontubby Baptist Church she enjoyed teaching a Sunday School class for young children. She said she loved to help start kids down the right path in life but she felt closest to God when she was outdoors in his creation. Some of her fondest memories were with her late husband Bob, her children, and grandchildren across the mountain on Buffalo creek hunting and fishing. She was an avid outdoorswoman whether she was hunting, fishing, picking wild berries to make a cobbler of jelly, teaching a young one the animal signs in the woods or the different kinds of trees that grow along the creeks or hills, or adding to her infamous rock collection, a hobby that has been at the objection of many Parents passed down to her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She was a student from the old school of hard knocks and did everything she could to help others avoid the hardships she endured. When asked about the changes she had seen in this world during her lifetime and if she could write it all down she simply said " there's not enough paper". Her family was her most prized possession whom she loved with all her heart.
Funeral service will be 10:00 a.m., Tuesday, September 19, 2023 at the Dowden-Roberts Funeral Home Chapel in Heavener, Oklahoma with Brother Alvin Branscum and Brother Charlie Scott officiating. Burial will follow in the Hontubby Cemetery under the direction of Dowden-Roberts Funeral Home in Heavener, Oklahoma.
Viewing will be from 1 p.m. until 8 p.m., Monday at the funeral home.
Funeral Service
Dowden-Roberts Funeral Home Chapel
Tuesday, September 19, 2023
10:00 AM
710 U.S. HWY 270
Heavener, OK 74937