Bessie ‘Be’ Fiegel

Bessie Alleen “Be” Fiegel, 92 year-old Oklahoma City resident, was laid to rest in a private family graveside service in St. Joseph’s Catholic Cemetery in Loyal under the direction of Lockstone Funeral Home.

Bessie was born May 1, 1931, in Claremore to Alfred and Bama Almer (Keith) Webber and passed away Thursday, March 21, 2024, at Epworth Villa in Oklahoma City.

Bessie was raised and attended school in Kingfisher, graduating from Kingfisher High School in 1949.

During her early years she enjoyed racing horses and shooting.

At 17, she had caught a young man’s eye from Loyal who had just returned from service in the Pacific.

On Aug. 17, 1949, Bessie married that young man, Melvin Frank Fiegel.

They made their home in Chickasha where they started their family. They had two sons while in Chickasha, Chris and Dan. During that time, Bessie attended Oklahoma College for Women in Chickasha.

When the family moved to Stillwater, she continued her education, eventually completing her master’s degree.

The family’s next move was to Weatherford where Melvin and Bessie were both professors at Southwestern Oklahoma State University where she taught home economics and fashion design. They retired and stayed in Weatherford and later they moved to Oklahoma City.

Wherever they lived they enjoyed friends.

They loved to travel, whether it was a short trip in Oklahoma, somewhere in the U.S., or another country of interest.

Reading was Bessie’s passion. Her favorite genre tended to be a good murder mystery.

She was also an avid quilter.

Bessie is survived by two sons, Christopher Fiegel and wife Jacque of Edmond and Dan Fiegel and wife Jean of Enid; five grandchildren, Adam and wife Angela, John and wife Jen, Nicholas and wife Kimmy, Nathan and Natalie; and one great-grandson, Liam.

She was preceded in death by husband, Melvin; her mother, Bama; and grandmother, Savannah Bias.