Letha Marie Clark Crispin was born March 31, 1940, in her hometown of Taloga to parents Jessie Maude Jones and Homer John Clark.  As the fifth child of six, Letha was surrounded by siblings that in her words loved to" boss her around and tell her what to do". Barbara, Billy, Jerry and Alice were always running the show and she was especially excited when Larry Paul came around so she would have someone to finally be in charge of.   She often spoke fondly of her mother Jessie, and told countless stories of many of the kid's friends dropping in at dinner time and all Jess would do is add a little more water to the soup or gravy and gladly set another plate.  The Clark home was filled with lots of love, music, and creativity as the brothers and sisters grew up entertaining themselves and countless others while staying busy with their school activities. As a teenager she fell in love with Jesus and pursued his teachings and was baptized and made it her mission to spread God's love to others. Letha graduated high school from Taloga in 1958 and was ready to take on the world.  She loved to read and wanted to pursue a career in writing but to her detriment she wasn't very good at spelling.  Much to her frustration, her grandson Peyton taught her to spell the word perseverance in the 2 ^nd grade and continued to taunt and tease her that her spelling skills were subpar.

Letha met Ronald R Crispin, Sr in 1956 and married Ronnie October 18, 1958 at the Taloga Christian Church surrounded by family and numerous friends.  Letha and Ronnie made their home in Taloga and would have been married 63 years on their upcoming anniversary.  To this union, two children were born.  Ronald Rene Crispin, Jr was born March 8, 1960 and Julie Beth Crispin Hartzell followed several years later on August 2, 1971.  As a wife she felt her greatest duty to Ronnie was cook him a good meal, help do the chores, be his copilot going to the ranch, and do her best to keep him alive.  She knew her father in law Carroll had done a great job of that and she wanted to carry on the tradition.  She wasn't much on housework but said she always believed a lived in house meant the family was too busy out enjoying life. Ronnie and her enjoyed much of the same interest and loved to be a part of the Taloga community.   Letha often expressed how thankful she was that Ronnie took such good care of her mother, Jess and was always being a referee when the two would play cards or give each other fits.

Letha was a wonderful mother to Rene and Julie and spent countless hours running her kids around to ballgames, speech contests, stock shows, and all of their 4H and FFA activities.  She constantly reminded them if a job was worth doing, it was worth doing well.  She loved competition and encouraged her kids to prepare and work hard in everything that they did.  She prayed for her children to know and love Jesus and took them to church and encouraged them to stay connected and be a service to others.   The family attended the First Christian Church of Taloga where Letha was known as the Beginners Teacher for many years and Vacation Bible School was her favorite activity each summer.  Loving on kids and reminding them of how special they are was one of her greatest gifts and she was often heard saying, "All God's children have talents, we just have to help develop them and use them for the kingdom." She loved music and would often be singing loudly at the VBS programs even though God skipped giving her the beautiful voice she wanted so badly.   Later she was so excited that Jenna would posses such a unbelievable talent and her heart swelled with pride each time she heard her sing.

Letha worked at the OSU Extension Center in the Dewey County Courthouse for 36+ years where she met many of her closest friends.  The staff at the office became sons and daughters to her and she wanted to make them feel welcome and at home in their new community.  As a lifelong supporter of the 4H and FFA programs, her passion for the youth of Dewey County made it hard for her to know a stranger or more importantly for you not to know her.  If a 4H or FFA member showed an animal, participated in a public speaking contest, turned in a 4H record book, or was involved in any of the organizations many activities they knew she was the gal to ask for and she would point them in the right direction.  She would often say, "Give a kid an animal or a project they are responsible for and they would soon learn the importance of commitment."  Over the years she made countless close personal relationships with her "Kids" and loved watching them excel and win in life.   The County Fair was often her busiest time but most rewarding because she got to witness the exhibitors show off all their hard work and accomplishments.

In October 2008 Davin Hartzell joined the Crispin Family by marriage to Julie and Letha was so thankful that Peyton had been given the perfect Dad.  She loved to listen to Davin sing her Elvis songs and was always eager to get one of Davin's perfectly cooked fried eggs for her Sunday morning breakfast.  Ann was also such a blessing when she took over the job corralling Rene in 2014.  Many of the families' functions moved to their house on the ranch and she was always blown away by Ann's hospitality and willingness to make all her favorites.  She often said Ann worked too hard to take care of us all but also so very grateful.

When grandchildren came her way she was ready and willing to embrace the title of Mema and teach those kids a thing or too.  First grandchild Jenna spent lots of time with her grandparents especially in her early years.  Letha and Jenna would make crafts, watch Disney movies and paint each other's fingernails.  When Jenna left Taloga in 3 ^rd grade to pursue her music, Letha and Ronnie spent lots of time in Branson, Mo watching Jenna perform in various shows and were so proud of what an amazing talent she possessed.  She was excited to follow Jenna to the Miss Oklahoma pageant and could spend countless hours listening to her sing.  She was so thankful that Jenna would soon use her talents to turn others towards Jesus and develop her voice into her ministry.  She felt exceptionally blessed when Jenna married Easton and they took up the calling of leadership of the Edge Church in Clinton.  Over the years she spent lots of time in the kitchen teaching Jenna the "Crispin Ways" and was excited she took such an interest in the family recipes.  The kids and grandkids were blessed several months later when she took the time to type them up and have them bound so they could keep them in the family.  Years later Peyton came in to the picture and fueled the flame of Mema's love of baseball.  She was his biggest supporter and often drove hours to practice, private lessons, and all over the state to pursue his love of baseball.  When Peyton made the move to Lookeba Sickles, she became a fixture under the tent so she could see her favorite lefty play centerfield and gathered a circle of new friends who spent their time visiting, cheering, yelling at umpires and enjoying Panther baseball.  As Peyton continued to pursue his baseball career in college, she made countless trips to Warner to see just a 9 inning game but became really excited when P transferred to Oklahoma City University since it was close to home and had coaches Peyton looked up to and had loved for years.  Every chance she got she sported her Stars gear and was in the stands cheering on her favorite boys.  Over the years Peyton brought several out of state players home for breaks and holidays and she quickly became their Oklahoma Mema and tried her best to give them girl advice whether they asked for it or not.  She was exceptionally proud of his baseball accomplishments but more importantly she encouraged him to be a good teammate and to work hard in the classroom.  As Peyton became more involved with Fellowship of Christian Athletes at OCU she reminded him this world is temporary and our goal is to pursue eternity.  With her children's marriages she also added two beautiful bonus granddaughters, Jordyn and Shay.  She enjoyed visiting with the girls and hearing all about their lives and what they had planned.  She loved to play games and both girls were always willing to give Mema a run for her money. As great grands entered the picture it was harder for her to be as active but she was so thankful for her Rawlings and Chloe.  She constantly talked about how smart Rawlings is and how he would be a great ball player someday.  She often laughed that Chloe had the prettiest smile and eyelashes that looked so much like Jenna when she was younger but was tough as nails when she took a tumble.

Letha's hobbies included reading, knitting, crocheting, fishing, going to the ranch to check the cows and throwing a good party.  Most people knew what an amazing cook she was and recognized her as deadly card and domino player.  She was an avid OSU Cowboy fan and enjoyed all the sporting events she could attend.  Letha believed in the meaning of civic leadership and served as secretary of the Mound Cemetery Board, Sr. Citizens Board member, and worked for the Dewey County Election Office when needed.  Like her mother, she was a member of Eastern Stars and worked with several of her friends she met along the way in the Rural Carrier's Auxiliary.

Letha is survived by her husband Ronnie of Taloga.   Sister Alice and Brother-in-law Bob Morton of Chelsea, OK, Brother Jerry and Janice Clark of Enid, OK and oldest brother Billy Ray Clark of Del Norte, Mexico.  Two Children, son Rene and Daughter in law Ann Crispin of Putnam, OK and Daughter Julie and son in law Davin Hartzell of Hydro, OK.  Grandchildren Jenna and Easton Page of Cordell, OK, Peyton Crispin of Hydro, OK, Jordyn Hartzell of Montreal, Canada and Shay Hartness of Weatherford, OK.  Two Great grandchildren, Rawlings and Chloe Page of Cordell, Ok, Sister in law, Nelda Crispin of Putnam, OK and several nieces and nephews and tons of friends she considered family.  She was preceded in death by her parents, Homer and Jessie Clark, oldest sister Barbara Campbell, youngest brother Larry Paul Clark, beloved uncle Jay Jones, and granddaughter, Landry Hartzell.

Memorials may be made to the:

Oklahoma Medical Research

or Taloga Senior Citizens

or Taloga First Christian Church

C/O Shaw Funeral Home

P.O. Box 276, Vici, OK 73859.

Funeral Service