July 22, 1924 - May 09, 2020
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Joan Young Harper, known by her friends and family as “Joanie”, died May 9th, 2020, in Denver, Colorado, at the age of 95.
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Joanie was a true daughter of the First Families of the Twin Territories; her maternal grandfather was the first doctor in Indian Territory and her paternal grandfather made the Land Run of 1893, whose first home was a sod dugout.
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She was born July 22nd, 1924 to Beverly and Chester Young. The family lived in Carmen and Fairview, OK, where Chester owned hardware stores and farms, before moving to Enid in 1934. During his successful career Chester was President of the North American Retail Hardware Association.
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Joanie attended Enid schools and studied drama during the summers at Northwestern University. She attended OU and was a member of Delta Delta Delta Sorority. But her first love was acting so she moved to New York City and attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. After graduation she worked with the American Academy Stock Company and had roles in early television commercials. She also was a resident actress with the Cleveland and Albuquerque Playhouses.
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On November 2nd, 1946 Joanie, who had returned to Enid, married Gilbert Stewart (Stew) Harper, a West Point graduate who was stationed at Vance Air Force Base for pilot training. They lived a military life with frequent family moves and deployments. Stew left active duty to pursue a successful career in industry but stayed in the Air Force Reserves, retiring as a Brigadier General. His civilian career took the couple to Vietnam, returning shortly before the fall of Saigon.
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On Stew’s final retirement he and Joanie moved back to Enid where they bought the Young Family home. Joanie’s greatest pleasure was to live in the home where she grew up. In 2016 she moved to Denver, CO to be near family.
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She was business manager and personal investor for Young Valley Farms and was in partnership with her brother, Bob.
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In Enid Joanie was a member of the First Presbyterian Church and was active in the Presbyterian Women’s Association; in 2011 she was named Presbyterian Woman of the Year. She was a dedicated 68-year member of P.E.O. Chapter AQ/OK and organized a chapter while living in Lexington, MA; she often joked P.E.O. stood for “Petticoats Enter Only”. She also organized the Needlepoint Guild at St. Matthews Episcopal Church. Joanie served as President of the Enid Delta Delta Delta Alumnae Chapter and hosted the Tri Delta pansy sale eighteen consecutive years at her home. She was a member of Garfield Republican Women; Oakwood Country Club, where her parents were charter members; and Sons and Daughters of the Cherokee Strip. She served on the boards of the YWCA and Enid Symphony. Joanie was preceded in death by her husband, Stew, in 1980 and her brother, Robert John (Bob) Young, of Deland, FL in 2009.
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She is survived by her son, Brigadier General Gil Harper and his wife, Kris, of Mt. Pleasant, SC and her daughter, Nancy and her husband, Curt Hockemeier, of Denver, CO. She has six grandchildren: Jonathan Harper and his partner, Gordon Phelps, of Falls Church, VA; Betsy Harper of Denver, CO; Matthew Harper of Alexandria, VA; Taylor Hockemeier and his wife, Holly, of Denver, CO; Greer Hockemeier, of Bethlehem, PA; and Sloane Hockemeier of Denver, CO. She also has two great-grandchildren, Haylen and Abby Hockemeier of Denver, CO.
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Services will be held at First Presbyterian Church of Enid at a future date.
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In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the First Presbyterian Church of Enid, Leonardo’s Children’s Museum, P.E.O. Chapter AQ/OK or Friends of Fisher House Charleston in care of Brown-Cummings Funeral Home.
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Condolences may be made to the family online at www.Brown-Cummings.com. As one of Oklahomaʼs oldest single family owned and operated providers of funerals and cremations, Brown-Cummings is the name families have turned to for generations. They fully understand the honor and responsibility entrusted to them to preserve the story of oneʼs life. Visit 400 W. Maple, Enid, OK 73701. Call: (580) 237-5432.
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Obituaries are posted, in part, due to the generosity of The Commons.
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