Graveside Funeral Services for Juanita Briscoe, 93, of Lexington were held Friday, May 1, 2020 at the Lexington Cemetery. Services were under the direction of the Wilson-Little Funeral Home in Purcell.
Mrs. Briscoe passed away Wednesday, April 29, 2020.
Juanita Evelyn Turner was born May 16, 1926 in Ripley, Okla., the older of two children born to Albert Lee Turner and Opal O. (Patterson) Turner. She spent her early childhood in the Ripley area where she began school, later graduating from Yale High School in 1943. After school, she began working at the Yale Hospital as a Nursing Aide.
On September 13, 1945, Juanita married her best friend and life partner, Ronald “Ronnie” Briscoe. They made their home in Oklahoma City for a time, before moving to Purcell in 1957. Together they raised two daughters, Sheila and Mary Gay.
Juanita continued to work in nursing for Purcell Municipal Hospital until 1966, when she began working at Tinker Air Force Base. Juanita and Ronnie spent their retirement years at Lake Eufaula, before moving to Lexington in 2000, to be closer to her family. They traveled some, and enjoyed big family trips, and she fondly recalled her favorites as Hawaii and Lake Tahoe. She loved anything and everything to do with flowers.
Juanita looked forward to helping Gay decorate for weddings and would honor her family and friends who had passed away by making annual flower arrangements to honor them for Memorial Day. Juanita was so full of life; always busy and yet always gracious.
She was a woman of great faith, and her message to her family and friends was always to “put God first in all things, and to always be a helping hand to those around you.” She was a wonderful mother; the very best grandmother, great-grandmother and great-great-grandmother, and a true friend. She will be dearly missed!
She was preceded in death by her husband, Ronnie Briscoe; son-in-law, Gene Monk; her parents, Albert and Opal Turner and her brother, Gene Turner.
Juanita is survived by her daughters, Sheila Evelyn Monk of Moore and Mary Gay Newville and husband, Mike, of Lexington; four grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; 11 great-great-grandchildren and a host of other family members and a host of friends.
Online condolences may be made at wilsonlittle.com.
