Cecil Leon Sterne

Cecil Leon Sterne passed from this life on March 24, 2023, at the age of 82 in Cleveland, Oklahoma.

Cecil was born on February 21, 1941, in Pawnee, Oklahoma and was the son of Cecil Hilburn and Mary Anna (Gambill) Sterne. Cecil attended Sequoyah Elementary, Cleveland Middle School and graduated from Will Rogers High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma with the Class of 1959. After graduating, he joined the U.S. Army Reserves and was honorably discharged in 1965. Cecil was united in marriage to Grace "Essie" Theresa Shiels on June 8, 1965 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. They had four daughters, Kathleen, Kerry, Kelly and Bernadette. Cecil was later united in marriage to Phyllis Jo Hartman Reed on November 18, 1995. They established their initial home in Tulsa before moving to Keystone Lake in Cleveland, Oklahoma.

During his younger days, Cecil enjoyed racing sprint cars, fishing, playing sports, coaching his daughters' softball teams, and umpiring in numerous softball leagues. Throughout his life, he enjoyed fishing trips to the mountains of Colorado and Wyoming. Cecil was always a fisherman at heart. Every day Cecil spent fishing was a day he truly loved and cherished. Hunting with his brother Larry was special time spent together. Cecil adored his sister Earlene and looked forward to their lunch dates.

Cecil was a successful investor and business owner in the machine tool industry. And while he enjoyed his accomplishments as a businessman, it was the relationships, the friendships, that developed between him and those he came to know and respect in the business, and in life, that meant the most to him. Relationships and friendships brought him great joy.

Cecil loved to research. During his fifties, he immersed himself in his Pawnee Native American culture and history. He hosted gatherings where elders of the Tribe told stories of earlier times, stories of days spent at Chilocco Indian School and stories from WWII Veterans. Cecil was one of the founders of the Pani Arts Association. He was the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Pawnee Tribal Development Corporation. Cecil was a Pawnee InVeteran. He was very proud of his Pawnee heritage.

In his later years, his hobbies included gardening, bird watching, cooking, listening to music, watching YouTube, and playing serious dominoes. Cecil looked forward to spending time with his grandkids and spent time discussing life with them and listening to their plans for the future.

Survivors include his wife Phyllis; three daughters; Kathleen Walinsky of Miami, Florida, Kerry Beecher of Okarche, Oklahoma and Bernadette Sterne Meno of Guam, two step children; Nathan Reed of Owasso, Oklahoma, Matthew Reed and his wife Amy of Afton, Oklahoma; one sister Earlene Wilson Branson and husband Bob of Tulsa; fourteen grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, his niece, Michelle Malmstrom, and great-niece Mia of Chicago, Illinois. In addition to his parents, Cecil was preceded in death by his infant daughter Kelly Erin Sterne, his brother Larry Sterne and his stepson David Reed.

We, Cecil's family, invite you to join us for a memorial and celebration of his life on Saturday, June 10, 2023, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., at Five Oaks Lodge, 528 E. 121st Street S., Jenks, OK 74037. GPS or directions: Hwy 75 South to 121st Street S. Go East on 121st Street for 2.5 miles. From Jenks, Go south on Elm to 121st South. Turn East, go 1/2 mile.