Anna ArVel White
1945 – 2025
ArVel White peacefully passed away at 80 years old Tuesday, June 24, 2025, in Edmond OK. ArVel was born June 12, 1945, to Arvel and Velma (Dobbs) Jones in Hooker, OK. She grew up in Hooker, graduating from Hooker with the class of 1963. She attended Oklahoma University and Oklahoma Panhandle State University graduating with degrees in English and Mathematics. She later got her Master of Library Science. She taught school in Derby, KS in 1973 and ‘74 then Hooker from 1975 to 1990 and retired from teaching from Liberal, KS high school in 2006.
With her lifelong friend Ed and Karen Brady (Toadvine) as witnesses, she married her high school sweetheart Les on October 29, 1966, in Clayton, NM. Les and ArVel were married for 30 years until his passing in 1997. She is survived by her sons Ed and Jennifer White of Edmond, OK, Sean and Jennifer White of Bartlesville, OK, brother John and Janie Jones of Blanco, TX sister Drue and Kirk Washburn of Edmond, OK and sister Susan and Jim Thomson of Dallas, TX grandchildren: Hayden, Mitchell, Aston & Asia (Ed), and Kyla & Kyra (Sean). She is preceded in death by her husband Les White, her parents Velma and Arvel Jones, stepmother Martha Jones and sister Debbie St. Clair.
There weren’t many pies ArVel didn’t have her fingers in. ArVel was an avid musician using her piano and organ skills to accompany school solo and choir singers, church choir, weekly church services, school musicals, community events and Hooker Troopers melodrama performers. She wrote the scripts for high school swim shows, melodramas, three volumes of the Hooker History and “The Whitehouse Cookbook”. ArVel was always going somewhere or doing something. In addition to teaching English and math classes, ArVel was the high school librarian at both Hooker and Liberal. She had a passion for books and making them available to all. That love of books and reading spilled over to her community where she volunteered at the Olive Warner Memorial Library. Countless grant applications, fund raisers, book drives and Saturday morning readings were done on behalf of the community library.
In her later years of teaching and in retirement, ArVel traveled on several mission trips with her church. She also loved to travel with family and friends. She visited England, Ireland, Canada, Mexico, Venezuela, and many places in the U.S. She always spoke fondly of the people she met on those travels. She also spent several weeks studying the writing of Mark Twain in his home in New York. She also was heavily involved in making quilts and scrap books for her children and grandchildren and various causes. Sean would joke of the volume of quilts she made: “We could stay warm for years just burning the quilts for heat.” She did not like that joke. She was a staff writer for the Hooker Advance newspaper for several years in the early 2000s. In 2010, she relocated from Hooker, OK to Edmond, OK to
be closer to her son Ed and his family. In Edmond, she volunteered making dresses for her church to give to under-privileged girls, delivered meals to the elderly and accompanying choir groups and also played regularly for the residents of various nursing homes. In fact, she was so busy that Ed joked about how difficult it was to get on her social calendar.
ArVel was loved by many, and she touched many lives. Her presence will be missed, but her contributions to her many communities will live on.
The family asks that any memorials be made to your local library in memory of ArVel.
Memorial services will be at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, June 30, 2025 at Matthews Funeral Home in Edmond, OK 73003.
Graveside services will be at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, July 1, 2025 at Hooker City Cemetery in Hooker, Oklahoma.
To watch the service CLICK HERE to go to our YouTube page. Click on ‘Videos’, then ‘Live Streams’.
Prayers without ceasing will be lifted by many that love Ms. ArVel and her family. May God bless all of you with peace and comfort knowing she will suffer no longer. Enjoyed growing up in Hooker, OK with ArVel and her husband, Leslie. Many great memories of our many days together in Hooker Public Schools. Sincerely, Terry & Kaye Hale
Only around her once in Ed and Jennifer’s home, Arvel made an indelible impression…one I’ve never forgotten..She was so very vivacious, lovely and engaging.. Reading about her presently, she leaves such a grand legacy…What an amazing lovely family she leaves behind! ❤️🙏🏻kathy
Arvel took our yearbook group (along with Marilyn) to New York City when I was in High School. We were able to take a limo from the La Guardia airport to our hotel. I was very excited, as it was my first time in a limo. I was touching all of the buttons. She scolded me, and said I had to sit on my hands the rest of the trip to the hotel.
Arvel meant a lot to our family. She was a member of the school board that hired Dan as Superintendent and me as choir director in Hooker. She played piano and organ in our church there, and accompanied some for my choir students. She was very encouraging to our sons Josh and Drew in their music activities but also other activities they were involved in. Because of how supportive she was Drew asked her to be his guest when he received the State Superintendents Award for Arts Excellence his senior year. Prayers for Arvel’s family. She will be greatly missed by many.
Will miss my dear, amazing friend. Our friendship goes back to 1965. Ed and I eloped with ArVel and Les to be their witnesses. We laughed all these years about me being her bridesmaid. Lots of memories. Blessed these last 4 1/2 years to visit with her every week. She always greeted me with “Well hello friend.”
Karen. You are a good friend. I loved watching you two girls have fun together and the laughter and love you share. You could be honest and real like no one else and she for you. I love this. I love you. I miss her already – a lot. Shannon
Well done! I giggled several times reading this obituary and the comments below it. I know ArVel would like that humor was included, since laughter was such an important part of her life. We will miss her greatly, even though we didn’t get to spend enough time with her in recent years. She was a matriarch of our family, and a very felt presence, always.
Thank you, Arvel. You were a mover and shaker wherever you were. Family. Church. School. Community. You were a dear friend.
ArVel, you are part of almost every memory I have of growing up in Hooker. I am so very grateful for our lifelong friendship – and especially grateful that I got to see you last October and we could reminisce about so many life experiences and milestone moments we shared over all these years. Thank you for letting me take our picture. You were always giving, doing … a gift … a blessing … go, be free, my friend. Thank you for being. Love you, Jeanne Lee
Les and ArVel were the first to welcome Gary and I to Hooker years ago. We were blessed to be their neighbors. ArVel “drafted” us both into many community projects and activities through the years. We hosted the Hooker Centennial Committee into our homes for countless brainstorming sessions and meetings , with ArVel in the lead. I had the pleasure of calling her friend and sister in Christ. We visited quite often after she moved, she enjoyed showing off her new town. Rest well my dear friend.
Thank you, ArVel, for our friendship that began as dorm roommates, apartment roommates and the many times your extraordinary musical talents made it much more fun for me to enjoy our practice time!
Little did we know Tom and I would be in Hooker as teachers, which opened avenues of so much fun as true friends!
Again, we restored our time spent in Edmond attending musicals, going to lunch, never forgetting the past memories relived!!
Thank you for a very special part of our lives!!
Much love always,
Kerry McKee Harris
Dear and Precious Arvel….
Thank you so much for being a part of my life. You always treated me like I was important. The quilt, the time you spent with me, the beautiful piano pieces you played, your commitment to your community, being part of my sister’s life and your visits to our home, your walk of faith…..I could go on and on.
With love and gratitude for the precious memories, always and forever,
Meredith
I first met ArVel in 2013 when I joined the Sewing Ministry at EFBC. She was patient and kind in instructing me concerning the projects we were making. It was a joy to know her, to be around her, and to serve with her. As she entered heaven, I’m sure she heard the Lord say, “Well done thou good and faithful servant.”
Such a sweet lady who was always doing something for the town of Hooker. Arvel wil be missed by many! Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends at this difficult time.
Rick and Nancy