Gloria F. Huckaby

Gloria Fulton Huckaby was welcomed to the Heavenly Kingdom of God on Saturday, February 11, 2023. With faith, gratitude and great determination she lived to be 95 years old before dying peacefully in her sleep at Clarehouse, a hospice home in Tulsa. Gloria was born in Cushing, Oklahoma on December 9, 1927. She attended Holy Family school in Tulsa as a child and graduated from Central High school. She attended the University of Colorado in Boulder and graduated with a B.S. in mechanical engineering. She came back to Tulsa to attend the University of Tulsa and earn her MBA. She worked at Public Service Company of Oklahoma for twelve years and, whether she knew it or not, was a role model for women. She was one of the few female mechanical engineers employed at PSO. In 1952, she met and married Fredrick (Fred) F. Huckaby, an electrical engineer who worked at PSO. They adopted two daughters and enjoyed forty-two years of marriage until Fred's death in December of 1994. Several years later, in 1998, she married long-time family friend, William (Bill) D. Sanders, a pastor with five adult children. They celebrated thirteen years of marriage until Bill's death in March of 2011. Gloria's professional life in Tulsa included working as a mechanical engineer for Public Service Co. of Oklahoma. She developed Tulsa residential subdivisions, Ridgecrest and Hawthorne Woods. She developed an office park, Pecan Tree Place in Tulsa. She co-authored a book with her sister, Alice Skelsey, "Growing up Green"' subtitled "Parents and Children Gardening Together", Workman Publishing Company, New York, NY. She was a contributor to Nimrod, Tulsa University Literary Magazine. She was a First Lieutenant in the United States Naval Reserve, Retired. For several semesters, she was a part-time instructor at Tulsa Community College. She served on the Board of Directors at Cedar Crest as Chairman of the Long Range Planning committee. She played tennis for many years and competed in the Senior Olympics. She enjoyed gardening which included planting the annual tomatoes. She was happiest though, when she was fishing on Spring Creek at the family cabin. She jokingly called herself "Queen of the Streams". She loved the peacefulness of being in the woods and enjoyed nature. Over her many years of life she always made time for her various pets. She rescued many dogs and cats and cherished the time she spent with them. She was a member of the First United Methodist church. Gloria is survived by her two adult children, Sue Huckaby (Tulsa) and Alice Huckaby (Arizona) and five adult step-children, William "David" Sanders Jr (Bobbi), Tulsa; Susan McPheters (Scott), Tulsa; Sarah Bright (Mike), Tulsa; Shirley "Lainey" Staires (Mike), Tulsa; Dan Sanders (Tami), Tulsa. Gloria leaves behind a host of family and friends who love her. She was predeceased by her sisters Virginia, Elizabeth (Betty), Alice (Bunny), and a brother, Richard (Dick). She will be missed but always loved and remembered by all.

Gloria F. Huckaby

December 9, 1927 - February 11, 2023