Mass of Christian Burial for Jeanette Ice will be held at Noon on Thursday, January 12, 2017, at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church. Graveside service will be at Calvary Cemetery, with arrangements by the Henninger-Hinson Funeral Home.
Jeanette O’Connor Ice died Monday, January 9, 2017, at the age of 99. She was born in Enid on July 19, 1917, to John and Cyrillka (Chapek) O’Connor. She graduated from St. Joseph’s High School in 1935 and was, at the time of her death, its oldest living graduate.
Upon her high school graduation, Mrs. Ice was unable to afford college. She spent an entire year practicing the piano four hours a day and giving piano lessons in Lahoma and Pond Creek, traveling by bus, because her family did not own a car. In the spring of 1936, she performed an advanced piano recital for Enid’s old Community Hall, to a packed audience. Her performance earned her, the Tri-State Piano Scholarship to Phillips University, from which she graduated in 1941, with a bachelor’s degree in Music Education. She went on to earn a master’s degree in Music Education from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, in 1951.
On August 7, 1951, she married Willis Ice of Enid. He preceded her in death on December 24, 1985.
In addition to being an accomplished pianist and organist, Mrs. Ice was a well-known music educator in the Enid Public Schools. She taught at Emerson Junior High from 1943 to 1959, and then at Waller Junior High until her retirement in 1979. During her career, her choral groups received numerous superior and outstanding ratings. In addition to her position as choral director, she taught English for many years.
Mrs. Ice was a life-long member of St. Francis Xavier Parish. She was the choir director and organist for 23 years, having succeeded her mother in that role. She served as a lector for many years and was a member of the Altar Society. She was a member of the Calvary History Committee, which recorded the history of Calvary Cemetery, from its earliest formation to 1993. In 1997, she authored the 100-Year Centennial History published by the church. She donated the pipe organ chimes to the church, as well as the St. Francis tower chimes, which ring over downtown Enid every day.
Mrs. Ice was a patron of the Enid Symphony Orchestra and the Symphony Auxiliary, and was a life member of the Sons and Daughters of the Cherokee Strip.
Mrs. Ice is survived by: her daughter and son-in-law, Susan and Bill Walker of Tulsa; her three granddaughters, Becca Walker of Seattle, WA, Claire Walker of Philadelphia, PA, and Grace Walker of Stillwater, OK; and two cousins, Marilyn Lynn of Enid, and Jim O’Connor of Helena, MT.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations in memory of Mrs. Ice be made to: St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, or to: Our Daily Bread, with the Funeral Home acting as custodian of the funds.
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