Ann Sellers

DARLENE “ANN” SELLERS
APRIL 13, 1936 - NOVEMBER 29, 2021

DARLENE ANN SELLERS WAS BORN ON APRIL 13, 1936 IN PAWNEE COUNTY, OKLAHOMA, TO GEORGE LEE AND VESTA LEORA MALTSBERGER. BOTH OF HER PARENTS WERE FROM WELL-KNOWN, PIONEERING, HOMESTEADER FAMILIES WITH A LONG HISTORY IN THE AREA.

AT THE AGE OF FIVE, HER FATHER ACCEPTED A POSITION AT THE NEW AMMUNITION PLANT IN PRYOR, AND THE FAMILY RELOCATED THERE. ANN GREW UP IN PRYOR, AND SHE GRADUATED FROM PRYOR HIGH SCHOOL IN 1954.

SHE RECEIVED A BACHELOR’S DEGREE FROM NORTHEASTERN STATE UNIVERSITY IN TAHLEQUAH, IN DECEMBER 1957. AT TAHLEQUAH, SHE BEGAN A ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP WITH FLOYD TAYLOR SELLERS FROM SAPULPA.

FOLLOWING GRADUATION, SHE ACCEPTED HER FIRST JOB AS A SCHOOL TEACHER IN BUENA PARK, CALIFORNIA, WHERE SHE LIVED ON THE BEACH WITH HER BROTHER DARREL GENE MALTSBERGER AND HIS WIFE JEAN. SHE CONTINUED HER RELATIONSHIP WITH FLOYD ON A LONG-DISTANCE BASIS.

ABOUT A YEAR LATER, FLOYD COMPLETED HIS BACHELORS DEGREE IN OKLAHOMA, AND PLANNED TO ENTER DENTAL SCHOOL IN MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE. WITH ONLY A WEEK REMAINING BEFORE HE WAS REQUIRED TO REPORT TO DENTAL SCHOOL, HE TRAVELLED TO CALIFORNIA PLANNING TO CONVINCE ANN TO MARRY HIM AND JOIN HIM AS HE TRAVELLED CROSS COUNTY BACK THROUGH OKLAHOMA TO MEMPHIS.

AFTER SPENDING THE WEEK PLEADING FOR ANN’S HAND, FLOYD SUCCEEDED IN CONVINCING ANN TO MARRY HIM, AND THEY WERE WED AT ORANGETHORPE CHRISTIAN CHURCH IN FULLERTON, CALIFORNIA ON MARCH 13, 1959. THEY IMMEDIATELY DEPARTED FOR THREE YEARS IN MEMPHIS.

WHILE FLOYD STUDIED AT THE MEDICAL CAMPUS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE, ANN TAUGHT SCHOOL IN THE MEMPHIS PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM.

WHEN FLOYD RECEIVED HIS DDS IN 1962, THE COUPLE BRIEFLY RELOCATED TO MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA; BEFORE ARRIVING IN HENRYETTA, IN JUNE 1962. FLOYD ENTERED DENTAL PRACTICE, AND ANN BEGAN TEACHING AT ST. MICHAEL’S CATHOLIC SCHOOL IN HENRYETTA. SHE LATER MOVED TO HENRYETTA PUBLIC SCHOOLS WHERE SHE TAUGHT FRESHMAN ENGLISH UNTIL HER CHILDREN WERE BORN.

FOLLOWING THE BIRTH OF HER SON BRADFORD TAYLOR SELLERS IN 1965, SHE LEFT THE JOB MARKET TO FOCUS ON HOME LIFE AND RAISING HER FAMILY. A DAUGHTER, SUE ANN, WAS BORN IN 1969. IN ADDITION TO HER FAMILY, ANN WAS A LOYAL AND DEDICATED MEMBER OF THE FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH, WHERE SHE HELD NUMEROUS OFFICES, SANG IN THE CHOIR, AND TAUGHT SUNDAY SCHOOL.

SHE CARED FOR HER INVALID MOTHER FOR TWENTY YEARS.

IN HENRYETTA, SHE WAS AN ACTIVE AND RESPECTED MEMBER OF SOCIAL AND PHILANTHROPIC ORGANIZATIONS SUCH AS THE ITHANA STUDY CLUB, PEO, CHURCH WOMEN UNITED, AND CHRISTIAN WOMEN’S FELLOWSHIP - WHERE SHE EVENTUALLY HELD ALL OFFICES AVAILABLE IN THOSE ORGANIZATIONS. SHE WAS PRESIDENT OF THE HENRYETTA BAND PARENTS ASSOCIATION.

BY THE LATE 1980'S, ANN RETURNED TO TEACHING IN HENRYETTA SCHOOLS ON A PART-TIME BASIS.

RIGHT UP UNTIL THE END, ONE OF HER FONDEST EXPERIENCES WAS WHEN HER FORMER STUDENTS WOULD RECOGNIZE HER, AND SHARE THEIR MEMORIES FROM LONG AGO SCHOOL DAYS.


ANN IS SURVIVED BY A SISTER, SUE PIGMON OF CALIFORNIA. SHE IS ALSO SURVIVED BY HER SON BRAD OF HENRYETTA, AND HIS WIFE MONIKA BRUNNER; AND HER DAUGHTER SUE ANN BLAIR OF TULSA. SHE HAS FOUR GRAND-DAUGHTERS — SAILOR, ANN-SOPHIE, MARIE-NOELLE AND MADELEINE.

FUNERAL SERVICES WILL BE HELD ON MONDAY, DECEMBER 6 AT 2 PM AT INTEGRITY FUNERAL SERVICE CHAPEL IN HENRYETTA.

INTERMENT WILL be in MASHAM CEMETERY IN PAWNEE COUNTY ON TUESDAY, DECEMBER 7 AT 11 AM. VISITATION WILL BE HELD ON SUNDAY, DECEMBER 5 FROM 2PM TO 5PM.

THE FAMILY REQUESTS THAT MEMORIAL DONATIONS BE MADE TO THE DR. FLOYD T. AND ANN SELLERS MEMORIAL FUND AT THE FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF HENRYETTA, OKLAHOMA. THE FUND WILL BE USED TO HELP ESTABLISH A SCHOLARSHIP AT HENRYETTA HIGH SCHOOL.