Mary Kathryn (Kathy) Fioretti Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Mary Kathryn Fioretti of Tulsa, formerly of Stigler, passed peacefully from this life Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013, in Tulsa after valiantly battling a terminal infection. Born March 24, 1941, in Sand Springs, Kathy -- as her friends and family knew her -- was raised in the Fort Gibson and Muskogee area, graduating from Muskogee’s Central High School in 1959. After several Coke dates and fraternity dances at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah as a pledge for Tri Sig sorority, Kathy married the love of her life, Ray Fioretti, a Phi Sigma Epsilon, on Feb. 17, 1962, at Honor Heights Methodist Church in Muskogee, and they quickly started their family, which included son, Mike, and daughter, Sarita. Kathy’s faith has always been an integral part of her life. From her salvation experience as a young girl, Kathy faithfully attended churches wherever she lived and made sure that her family attended as well – from Honor Heights Methodist Church in Muskogee to First United Methodist Church, Main Street Baptist Church and Antioch Baptist Church, all in Stigler, to Village Baptist Church in Oklahoma City and finally South Tulsa Baptist Church in Tulsa. She had a heart for young people, serving as a youth leader or assisting with youth programs at many of the churches she attended. She accompanied the youth of Main Street Baptist to Falls Creek Baptist Assembly for 13 consecutive summers. Kathy had creative talents for decorating church floats for annual Christmas parades, assisted with hospitality for church functions, sang in the church choir and coordinated many church and ministry events. She also played on church volleyball leagues – using gloves. She was the director of the Stigler Chamber of Commerce for several years, avidly promoting the city of Stigler, the community where she and Ray raised their family. Her efforts garnered her the Citizen of the Year Award. She became involved in area pageants, assisting local teenagers at the Miss Lake Eufaula Pageant and eventually helping organize the pageants and pageant events. Kathy was active in the lives of her children and family; she served as a Cub Scout den mother, a band booster parent and kindergarten classroom aide. As much as Kathy loved to laugh, she loved to make other people laugh even more. She loved to have fun and was quite the prankster, and loved pulling light-hearted jokes on others – although some of the victims of her pranks might not call them “light-hearted.” Because her heart was always with children, she not only opened her heart to them at church, but she opened both her heart and her home to many over the years. She helped raise several foster children, chaperoned foreign exchange students and took youngsters into her loving, Christian home as her own. Since she loved being among young people, she went back to college and received her bachelor’s degree in education from Northeastern State University in 1983 so she could teach. Though she never taught full-time, she served as a substitute teacher for many years in many classes, enjoying the moments she had with the children and youth at school. Her three grandchildren – Heidi, Sydney and Zabrianna – were the apples of her eye. Her face always lit up when she heard their voices and she very much enjoyed their visits, playing games and preparing Nana’s special apple pie and Goofballs for them. Another love was for animals. Pets were not just pets; they were family. Kathy had great compassion for her pets, and there were many over the years. Kathy has been her husband’s primary caregiver since before his heart transplant surgery in 1999; she also cared for Ray’s twin brother, Fay, during his heart illness and transplant surgery. A survivor in many ways, Kathy herself was a breast cancer survivor. Although rendered immobile after an accident almost three years ago and unable to walk, Kathy kept her fighting spirit to the end. Funeral will be 10:30 a.m. Friday, March 1, 2013, at Antioch Baptist Church in Stigler with the Revs. Elbert Owens and Donnie Crittendon and longtime friend Bob Cariker officiating. Burial will be at Stigler City Cemetery under the direction of King and Shearwood Funeral Home of Stigler. She was preceded in death by her mother, Lois Hanlon; her brother, David Leon Boardman; an infant child; her brother-in-law, Fay Fioretti; an aunt, Ophelia Claunts Combs; and three uncles, Willard Anderson, Charles Anderson and Staff Sgt. Robert “Bobby” Anderson, who was killed in action as a B17 tailgunner during World War II. Kathy is survived by her husband of 51 years, Col. Ray Fioretti of the home; her son, Mike Fioretti and his wife, Pam of Fort Smith, Ark.; her daughter, Sarita Menachio and her husband, Gino, of Tulsa; three grandchildren, Heidi Couch and her husband, Alex, of Edmond, Okla., Sydney Fioretti of Edmond, Okla., and Zabrianna Menachio of Tulsa; a brother-in-law, Louis Fioretti Jr. and his wife, Sue, of Stigler; numerous nieces, nephews and cousins, and a host of friends and church family. Pallbearers will be Jeff Beach, Mike Rose, David Eaton, Jim Bob Kirk, Bob Crittendon and Joe Ogle Jr. Honorary pallbearers will be Roy Dixon, Cliff Richard, Don Crammer, Phillip Roye, Alex Couch, Steve Dow, Sam Rose, Joe Eaton, Bill Self Sr. and Ray Cloud. The family will visit with friends from 5-7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 28, at the funeral home, 808 E. Main St. in Stigler. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to The Clarehouse, a nonprofit hospice house where Kathy received compassionate, tender loving care much of the last few months of her life, at 7617 S. Mingo Road, Tulsa, OK 74133; www.clarehouse.org.

Mary Kathryn (Kathy) Fioretti

March 24, 1941 - February 24, 2013