Beulah Ardelia Braden

Beulah Ardelia Braden was born June 8, 1911 in Delaware County, Oklahoma. She was the daughter of Albert Barto and Rosa Ardelia Shelley. Beulah was raised in Delaware County and the Siloam Springs, Arkansas area attending school at the Moseley Prairie School.

Beulah was married to Joe Braden on October 4, 1930 in Jay, Oklahoma. The couple moved to Cleveland, Oklahoma shortly after their marriage and then settled between Cleveland and Mannford in the Basin area. The couple's first child, Stanley Joe was born in 1932, followed by Charles Albert in 1933, Howard Everett in 1935, Wendell Richard in 1939, Jewell Elaine in 1943 and then Elizabeth Roseann in 1945.

Joe and Beulah moved their family to the Arkansas River bottom area until Keystone Lake was opened and then moved to a farm and home near Westport. After nearly all her children where raised, Beulah accepted employment as a cook for M. T. Ward at Ward's Restaurant and worked for Mrs. Reed in her cafÈ for a while. When the Cleveland Area Hospital opened in 1962, Beulah accepted a position as cook for the hospital and remained there until her retirement in 1974.

Beulah was a faithful member of the Church of the Nazarene in Cleveland. She had attended the Dixie General Baptist Church in the early 1940's but then transferred her membership to the Church of the Nazarene, where she often assisted with vacation bible school, providing refreshments. Additionally, she helped in preparing church and funeral dinners for over fifty years.

Her hobbies included crocheting, quilting and sewing. She was a member of the Sewing Circle. She was a gifted musician and enjoyed playing the piano and guitar. Beulah was a member of the Westport Senior Citizen's Tin Pan Alley Band which performed throughout the area in nursing homes, at the Pioneer Day festivities in Cleveland and other functions. For a while she wrote a weekly article for the Cleveland American about activities in the Southfield Oil Camp during the 1940's. Her favorite activity, however, was spending time with her friends and family and preparing delicious meals for them; she loved to cook. Additionally, Beulah was a proud member of the Cherokee Nation.

Her husband, Joe preceded her in death on July 17, 1979. In addition to her husband, Beulah was preceded in death by her parents, two sons, Stanley J. Braden on Dec. 14, 1992 and Charles Braden on May 25, 1999; a grandson, John Joseph Braden and one granddaughter, Jane Ann Braden; eight brothers, Dewey, John, Hansel, Noah, Carl, Thomas, and two infant brothers, and three sisters, Effie, Nora, and Opal; and a daughter-in-law, Patricia R. Braden in 1992.

Beulah passed away on Sunday, February 19, 2006 at the Cleveland Area Hospital at the age of 94 years, 8 months and 11 days. She is survived by two sons, Howard Braden of Cleveland, Oklahoma and Wendell Braden of Cleveland, Oklahoma; two daughters, Elaine Lee of Cleveland, Oklahoma and Roseann Houlihan of Albuquerque, New Mexico; thirteen grandchildren, Charles A. Butch Braden, Jr., Howard Sonny Braden, Jr., Murphy Braden, Stanley Dale Braden, Sherri Herring, Murry Bubba Braden, Jamie Horton, Maleesa Missy Pinkerton, Shelley Dell, Kelli Scarborough, Mark Hayes, Dan Hayes and Liz Hayes, twenty-eight great-grandchildren and fifteen great great-grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held at 2:00 pm, Wednesday, February 22, 2006 at the Church of the Nazarene with Rev. Ted Herold officiating. Musical selections will be performed by Deanna Ferguson, Liz Lightner and LaZeta Gray. Burial will be at the Woodland Cemetery under the direction of the Chapman-Black Funeral Home.

Visit an online obituary and guestbook for Beulah Braden at www.chapman-black.com.