Services celebrating the life of Mary Katherine “Kathie” Brakefield will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday, March 12, 2026 at Goldsby Church in Goldsby. Interment will follow at the Yukon Cemetery under the direction of the Wilson-Little Funeral Home of Purcell.
Mary Katherine Brakefield, known to most as “Kathie” was born Mary Katherine Evans in Oklahoma City, Okla., and grew up on the west side of the Metro, dodging stealth attacks from her brothers around every corner and graduating high school from Mustang when it was just a dusty small town.
She got a job at TG&Y, where she met Alan and started the rest of her life, married in Yukon on a rainy September day. They settled in their forever home in Washington, Okla., where they raised their two daughters and built a life together throughout their 51-year marriage.
How deeply unfair to summarize an entire life in a few paragraphs. A lifetime worth of knowledge, humor, in a page of sentences.
Kathie hated toads, had TSA precheck (an accomplishment she was particularly proud of), enjoyed pedicures, was the shortest one in the family (our favorite thing to remind her of), and loved gardening. She told us girls frequently that she’d come get us anytime, anyplace, no matter what and she meant it.
Humor was a constant in our family. A witty, well-timed comment was as effortless to her as breathing. We were always joking and making one another laugh, even in the dark times.
“Mom” to many that came through the house and a friend to more than anyone can count. While it sounds cliche, she was the embodiment of the phrase “putting others before yourself.” She lived selflessly and patiently.
PlayDoh was always allowed for kids at her house. She was ageless. And, I mean that in the literal sense that she made it very clear that we were not to include her age in any of this as “it is no one’s business.” So, don’t find us and ask. We won’t tell you.
Kathie held incredible knowledge. She knew all the family history, the story behind the pictures, why that thing in the cabinet was special, and she had a gift of knowing exactly where you could find something in a grocery store, even one across the country. She could also probably tell you more about airplanes than a lot of pilots from her years of flying around with Alan and being an active participant of the aviation community.
She is preceded in death by her parents, Frank and Julia Evans; brothers, Frank and Kenneth Evans and sister, Judy Smith.
She is survived by her husband Alan; daughter, Christine Adams and husband, Keagan; her granddog, Bella; daughter, Alana Peery and husband, Keeton, and children, Julia and Evan; many loving nieces and nephews; brother, Joe Evans and sisters-in-law, Anna Evans and Juanita Evans.
While technically retired from the University of Oklahoma, where she held several administrative positions and earned her bachelor’s degree along the way, her real job there was mentoring and counseling those who came through her office. She was always a safe, familiar face that people would seek out on campus when they had a problem they needed to solve, needed a laugh, a cry or to share some exciting news. She genuinely cared for everyone’s wellbeing and success in life.
Her battle with cancer did not define her life, but we’d be remiss to not mention it here as an example of her strength and God’s goodness. There are many people who receive the same diagnosis she did and never saw another birthday. But Kathie wanted more life. Our family spent just short of another five years together and were sent a guardian angel in her doctor turned friend, Kathleen Moore, who gave us those quality years.
Celebrations were a little sweeter, vacations were more appreciated, car rides to appointments were opportunities to get caught up on the latest news and happenings in each other’s lives. Cancer is a thief of life, but those years were filled with beautiful moments we likely wouldn’t have had otherwise.
Her gift for creating things was a significant part of what brought her joy. She spent many hours on her banner ministry at FBC Washington and while she was never fully happy with the final product, anyone that had a chance to see her work in that church would tell you they were beautiful. That was an expression of worship for her and an outpouring of love to the Lord.
She loved the Lord, her family, her home, and her community. Her impact will be felt for generations. We are so blessed to have had her for the time that we did and for her to have been so extraordinary for it to hurt this much.
It would be her absolute greatest joy to know that one single thing she did with her time on this earth made your life better in some way or taught you something new. Please tell a story or a memory about Kathie. Think of her often. Don’t let her light fade over time. Her body is gone, but her spirit will live on much longer through all of you.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Kathie’s memory to the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance to support ovarian cancer research.
Online condolences may be made at www.wilsonlittle.com.