Mary Elizabeth (Hignite) Strickland

Mary Elizabeth (Hignite) Stickland went home to Jesus on February 2, 2026. She sustained injuries in a fall and she wasn’t able to overcome.

Mary was born in Stillwell, Oklahoma to Alex and Ivy Mae (Patterson) Hignite, along with eleven other brothers and sisters. She went to school for a time at Peavine School where she received her only spanking at school for sliding down the slide in a dress.

She married Charles “Ray” Stickland on January 21, 1961 in Anadarko, Oklahoma. Together they had Wanda (Mike) Williams of Devils Den, Arkansas, Wendell (Priscilla) Strickland of Colcord, Oklahoma, Pam (Jason) McSwain of Colcord, Oklahoma, and Perry Strickland of Colcord, Oklahoma. She was blessed to have sixteen grandchildren and thirty-four great-grandchildren.

She worked many jobs over the years. She was never one to sit when work needed done, so she worked in the garden at home, or the Cotton Patch. She did everything from cleaning houses to Gates Rubber where she finally retired after nineteen years.

Mary waited for every chance to do something she enjoyed. She enjoyed fishing, sewing, reading, church, family and genealogy. She loved telling the stories of the family past as the family record keeper. She could tell the dates, names and places and would tell the stories to anyone who would listen.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Charles Ray Strickland; her parents, Alex Hignite and Ivy Mae (Patterson) Hignite; brother, Paul Hignite; sister, Lois (Hignite) Strait; and a host of other family members – she was one of twelve.

Mary wanted to be cremated. A graveside service is planned for Saturday, February 21, 2026 at Row Cemetery at 1pm followed by fellowship at her church Solid Rock in West Siloam Springs, Oklahoma.