OBITUARY: Frances Alberta ‘Bert’ Kannady

Frances Alberta (Bert) Kannady stepped into glory on Friday, Nov. 8 2024, at St. Katharine Drexel Retirement Center in El Reno.

Francis Alberta (Bert) was born at home in Patoka, Ill., on Thursday, Nov. 29, 1934, to Roy and Edith Thalman.

Bert shared that she was a tomboy almost by necessity, growing up on a farm with three older brothers.

Her experience on the farm and with three brothers instilled a toughness and strong will that would serve her well in her life.

Bert attended grade school in Patoka and completed her education at Centralia High School in Centralia, Ill.

Bert’s life was defined by the challenges of life and her response to those challenges.

At the age of 3, Bert contracted the polio virus, but with a determination that would define her life and impact those who loved and knew her, polio was a challenge to meet head on and live life to the fullest despite this challenge.

At the age of 18, Bert met and married Ralph Jones. Upon their union, the couple moved to Florida to pursue Ralph’s trade in the auto body business.

Soon after, Bert was expecting their first son. Sadly, Bert’s first son, Michael, did not survive childbirth, but with a determination defined by her faith, Bert continued to move forward.

Bert and Ralph welcomed their second child Angela on Oct. 15, 1954. Just prior to Bert’s 21st birthday, it was discovered that her husband had cancer and prior to her 21st birthday Bert lost Ralph to cancer.

In the face of this tragedy, once more her faith in her Lord sustained her. With determination, Bert and her daughter Angie pulled their bumper-pull camper from Florida to Salem, Ill., where her oldest brother Leroy lived, trusting God with her future - and what a future.

In Salem, Bert met the love of her life, a southeastern Oklahoma boy who had been transferred to Salem to work in the oilfields - Luke Kannady.

The couple soon were joined in marriage on July 31, 1959, and a love story that lasted 65 years began.

Bert shared in her diary that her greatest dream as a child was a high calling indeed, to be a good wife and mother. Mission accomplished!

On June 22, 1960, in Salem, God blessed Luke and Bert with a daughter, Schrie Kannady Braden, quickly followed by a son, Greg Kannady, who was born April 28, 1961, in Fairfax.

Bert invested in the success of her husband and children throughout her life, often at the expense and sacrifice of her own needs.

This was especially true in March 1981 when Luke and Bert, along with their son Greg, founded LuGreg Trucking, LLC. Based on her sacrifice and commitment to her family, LuGreg continues to this day to attempt to honor her standards of excellence.

Bert’s passions and hobbies were closely related to those of her husband. Both Luke and Bert had a passion for travel, speed, motorcycles and fishing.

We often marveled at her tenacity to either ride behind Luke on the back of a motorcycle, visiting many of the lower 48 states, or fishing for hours at Lake Texoma for striper with her husband, often being tasked with cleaning the fish after a long day of fishing.

The foundation of Bert’s life was her faith and relationship with her Lord Jesus. Bert’s second family was her church family.

Her commitment to the family of God was very evident in her support of her local church, with the last 58 years of her life as a member of the First Baptist Church of Kingfisher.

Bert will be remembered for a toughness and tenacity of life, understanding the difficulties of life can be faced and overcome by faith.

One of Bert’s favorite life verses was Romans 8:28, “and we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those called according to His purpose,” and she attempted to live this truth throughout her life.

Bert was preceded in her homecoming by her father and mother, Roy and Edith Thalman; oldest brother, Leroy Thalman, formerly of Salem, Ill.; brother and sister-in-law, Cecil and June Thalman, formerly of Patoka, Ill.; brother and sisterin- law, Bobby and Virgina Thalman, formerly of Patoka, Ill.; first husband, Ralph Jones and son Michael; and her daughter, Schrie Braden, formerly of Kingfisher.

Bert is survived by her loving husband, Luke Kannady of Kingfisher; sister-inlaw Pat Buford of Salem, Ill.; daughter, Angela Specht of Edmond; son-in-law, Gerald Braden of Kingfisher; son and daughter-in-law, Greg and Susan Kannady of Kingfi sher; stepson, Ronnie Kannady of Grand Prairie, Texas; and grandchildren, Judd and Sarah Fisher of Oklahoma City, Joey and Ashley Bowling of Piedmont, Doug and Allison Haymaker of Edmond, Alex and Autumn Kidd of Edmond, Zac and Shiloh Kannady of Kingfi sher, and Shea and Paige Smith of Kingfisher; along with numerous great-grandchildren.

The family would like to thank her friends and church family for all the love and kindness extended to Bert and our family, especially as her homecoming approached, a special thank you to the staff of St. Katharine Drexel Retirement Center for the loving care provided Bert the last 15 months and also to Kennedy Winter and the staff of Wilson Funeral Home for their sensitivity and love extended to our family during this time.

If you would like to honor Bert, donations in memory of Alberta (Bert) Kannady would be greatly appreciated to Oklahoma Baptist Homes for Children at: obhc.org/get-involved/ ways- to- give/ memorial- gifts.

A funeral service to honor the life of Bert was held at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 13, at the First Baptist Church of Kingfisher, under the direction of Wilson Funeral Home-Kingfisher.