Kathryn Denise Churchill

Funeral services for Kathryn Denise Churchill will be held 11:00 AM, Saturday, January 11, 2025 at Hopeton Church in Hopeton, OK. Burial to follow at Alva Municipal Cemetery in Alva. Visitation with the family will be from 4-6 PM, Friday, January 10, 2025 at the funeral home. Arrangements are under the direction of Marshall Funeral Home of Alva. Kathryn Denise Churchill was born to Dale Eugene and Alma “Darlene” (Bowman) Johnston on January 2, 1955 in Woodward, OK. She grew up, along with her sisters, Yolanda, Becky, and Charlotte, in the Woodward area, except for a short time, when the family moved to Missouri. Kathy had a fun, but not always easy, childhood. She looked back, even in the trying times, with fond memories. Later in life she knew that it was in those moments that her relationship with the Lord was building. After graduating from Woodward High School in 1973, Kathy attended Northwestern Oklahoma State University in Alva, OK, for two years, earning an Associates Degree in Secretarial Accounting. It was during her time at Northwestern that she met and married Terry Ross. The two were blessed with two children, Joni and Jennifer. Kathy knew God at an early age, looking to her grandparents and parents for that example. The earliest account of her spreading the gospel was on the playground of Horace Mann Elementary school in Woodward, OK, in the early 1960s. She boldly walked up to a little girl named Billie Mancillas and asked, “Do you know who God is?” That was the beginning of a close friendship that sustained throughout the remainder of her life. As a young mother, Kathy began to build a stronger relationship with God. Her health and life circumstances brought many challenges through which she relied heavily on the Lord to overcome. After trying several different churches, she found her home at Hopeton Wesleyan Church in 1986. She spent the remainder of her life in service to God through her church. Kathy had a true servant-heart and she used that gift to serve in any way that she could. For a period of time, she sang on the worship team and served as a church greeter, but she is perhaps best known for her dedication to the church’s children’s ministry, where many children came to know her as Miss Kathy. While in that role, she did her part to teach them that “God is So Good”! Kathy received one of her greatest blessings when she married the love of her life, Bradley Dean Churchill, on January 2, 2002. Bradley also considers Kathy to be his greatest gift from God. Together, the couple continued to build a life of service to God, their church, and their family. Early in her career, Kathy lived in Carmen, OK. During that time, she ran the Carmen Insurance Agency and worked as a secretary for Magic Circle Energy. In 1985, she began working for Assistant District Attorney, Tom Gruber, as his secretary. After his time in office, she followed him to his private practice and served as the secretary for Gruber and Cunningham Law Office until the early 2000s. For the next twenty-one years, she worked for Central National Bank, later Bank Central NA, until her retirement in 2020. Through the years, Kathy earned the reputation of a trusted and dedicated employee who always brought joy to those she greeted. It was in her retirement that she was able to dedicate herself full-time to her most cherished job—being Nana. Even before her retirement, Kathy was a very present Nana. Following her retirement she packed in a lifetime of grandmotherly duties. She attended as many activities as she possibly could, spending many evenings and weekends at rodeo grounds, sports venues, recital halls, concert venues, birthday parties, or just spending quality time with her family in the living room. Whenever she was present, her grandchildren were at her side. She was intentional in making even the most insignificant moments special and meaningful. Kathy was diagnosed with breast cancer for the first time in September of 1997. She prayed and believed for healing. God was faithful on that call, giving her twenty-seven wonderful years to build a beautiful family, leave a lasting legacy, and spread the gospel of God to everyone she encountered. In life, Kathy relied fully on God to sustain her and was a fervent prayer warrior. Together with her husband, Bradley, she followed the Bible in every step of life’s journey. The couple lived out their favorite scripture, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6. She received complete healing from her twenty-seven year fight with metastatic breast cancer as she entered into the arms of Jesus, her Lord and Savior, on Monday, January 6, 2025, at the age of 70 years and 4 days. Kathryn was preceded in death by her parents and sister, Yolanda. She is survived by her husband, Bradley Dean Churchill, of Alva; two children, Joni (Ross) Erikson and husband, Cody, of Morrison, OK; Jennifer (Ross) Winfrey and husband, Weston, of Pratt, KS, two bonus children, Jessica (Churchill) Kriegh and husband, Michael, of Alva; Jacob Churchill, of Troy, MO. Kathryn is also survived by her beloved grandchildren, Jaxon Erikson, Walker, Wren, Wraylee, and Weslyn Winfrey, Benjamin, Georgia and Elliette Kriegh; parents-in-love, Arthur and Karen Churchill of Searcy, AR; two sisters, Rebecca White and husband, Bob, of Woodward, OK, Charlotte Clary and husband, Scott, of Mooreland, OK; step sister, Tammy Rowekamp and husband Keith of Edmond, OK; step brother, Marvin Bozarth and wife Georgia of Virginia; a best friend of 64 years, Billie (Mancilles) Coughlin and husband, Pat, of Temple, TX; and many other relatives and friends. Contributions may be made through the funeral home to the Hopeton Wesleyan Church Victory Fund to assist in reaching people for Jesus, a central mission for Kathy.

Kathryn Denise Churchill

January 2, 1955 - January 6, 2025