Mary LeFlore Clements

Mary LeFlore Clements died peacefully, surrounded by her family, on Saturday, February 6, 2016, following a brief illness. Mary Elizabeth was born on August 9, 1927 to Arline Johnson LeFlore and Leroy Campbell LeFlore. Mary was proud of her Chickasaw heritage from Arline's family and her Choctaw heritage from Leroy's family. Mary loved attending Camp Waldemar in Hunt, TX. She graduated from Tulsa Central High School in 1945 and from the University of Oklahoma in 1949 with a degree in general fine arts. Mary was a talented artist who enjoyed painting and drawing. Her Kappa Alpha Theta sorority sisters nicknamed her Flower. She was selected as Yearbook Queen in 1947. The earliest recorded encounter between Mary LeFlore and Dick Clements occurred on January 25, 1932 when, according to a newspaper article, both were guests at the same birthday party. They enjoyed mutual friendships from childhood though college. They were married on March 31, 1951 at Trinity Episcopal Church in Tulsa and were blessed with three sons, Richard, Robert and Edward.

Mary was a general partner of the Johnson Land & Cattle Company which had its origins with her grandfather and great-grandfather. Mary and Dick enjoyed playing golf and attending OU football & basketball games together. Mary enjoyed traveling, to the Johnson Ranch in Alanreed, TX with family and friends for quail hunting or spending her winters in Rancho Mirage. After a decade of tennis, Mary returned to the game of golf. She enjoyed playing on ladies day and in scotch foursomes at the Oklahoma City Golf and Country Club and at Thunderbird Country Club in Rancho Mirage, CA. Other hobbies included needlepoint, her bridge group of roughly 55 years and mah jongg. Mary's volunteer work included The Junior League, The Winter Ball, Oklahoma Art Center Association, Rainbow Fleet, Harn Homestead, Washington National Cathedral Association and service as a Trustee of Casady School. Mary and Dick were members of the Queensberry Dinner Club and former members of the 75 Club and the Lotus Club.

The first thing that you would notice about Mary was her incredible beauty but her kindness and thoughtfulness were her most endearing qualities. She delighted in sending cards to her many friends on their birthdays and anniversaries. She was a very spiritual person, faithfully attending church and saying daily prayers for her prayer circle. She will be greatly missed. Mary is preceded in death by her parents and her brother, Louis Edward Leflore. She is survived by Dick, her loving and devoted husband of 64 years, her three sons and daughters-in-law, Richard and Melissa, Robert and Sody, and Ed and Matilda, and her seven grandchildren, Caitlin, Molly, Robert, Bryant, Andrew, Richard & William. Mary is also survived by her sister-in-law, Carol Jean LeFlore, her three nephews, Louis, Lawrence & Leroy LeFlore and their families. The family would like to thank her physicians for the excellent care they gave, especially Stephen M. Blevins, MD. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials to All Souls' Episcopal Church, 6400 N. Pennsylvania, Nichols Hills, OK 73116 or to a favorite charity of choice.

A memorial service will be held at All Souls' Episcopal Church on Wednesday, February 10 at 2:00 PM followed by a reception in the Parish Hall. Interment will be at Fairlawn Cemetery. Arrangments by Hahn Cook Street & Draper.