Margaret Mary Bishop
October 10, 1947 – May 22, 2026
Margaret Mary Bishop (whose 2nd middle name shan't be named) left this mortal realm on May 22, 2026.
Margaret was born October 10, 1947 in Corning, Arkansas, to her father Thomas Neeley. The oldest of six, she often found herself taking care of her siblings. Though it may have been hard, she often reflected on how much her siblings meant to her. Margaret loved them all. She held all her family close to her heart.
She graduated high school in Tonkawa, Oklahoma, and received her associate degree from Northern Oklahoma College shortly thereafter. Somewhere along the way she was ensnared by a dashing young man from Blackwell named Michael Bishop. Though the odds were not in their favor (the rivalry between Tonkawa and Blackwell, IYKYK) they married on May 8, 1970.
They just celebrated their 56th wedding anniversary.
She was an Executive Secretary at Continental Oil Company in Ponca City until she became pregnant with her first daughter. Though she had planned on returning to the work force, her daughter was so adorable that she could not and decided to stay home and raise her child. Her second daughter, also completely adorable, followed about one year and nine months later. She spent her time and love taking care of all her family.
This was the norm until the early '80s when she had to go back to work. First she was a teller at The Service Bank* in Blackwell, but her final stop in employment was at Southwest Cupid. She eventually retired from Cupid, leaving behind friends and family. Most kept in touch.
She enjoyed her high school reunions. All the group photos taken line the hallway in her home.
She loved the Oklahoma Sooners football team. She has shirts, license plates, mugs, purses, wallets, jewelry … the woman was obsessed. When they finally came out with a station where she could watch old OU football games, it was like winning the lottery for her. It was one of her most favorite things … besides her grandson Tyler … and her marathon calls with her sisters Lorraine and Joyce.
She had lived through segregation, the civil rights movement, women's rights, trickle-down economics, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, the moon landing … listen, she saw a lot and survived and thrived through it all.
Except snakes. She hated those things.
She held no hate for any group of people and believed if you were doing no harm there was nothing wrong with what you were doing. She accepted you for who you were where you were at.
Remaining to Cherish: husband Michael; daughter Melissa and her husband Paul; daughter Deborah, her husband Mike—and their son, Tyler, and his husband Cameron; sisters: Joyce, Lorraine and her husband Brian, and Sharlett; brothers: Chuck and Charley; nieces and nephews: Cynthia, Angela, Chris, Brandi, Kristina, Elisha, Tommy, Misty, Martha, Shane, and Nicholas. There are countless others that I did not list, including cousins. There are simply too many.
Preceding in Death: grandmother Nellie; father Thomas; mother-in-law and father-in-law Betty and Dean; uncle Wallace; sisters-in-law Janet and Peggy; nephews Daniel and Kevin; cousins Darlene, Michael and Lonnie.
Visitation will be held for family only.
Memorial Service will be held on June 26, 2026, at 10:00 AM at Roberts and Son Funeral Home in Blackwell, Oklahoma. Dress code is casual, preferably OU game-day crimson and cream. Wear black if you must, but it's hot during the summer here—even with AC.
Interment will be in Forest Park Cemetery in Anthony, Kansas. No graveside service as it will be as hot as Hades or we will be in a tornado warning and we are all getting too old for that.
Memorial donations in Margaret's memory may be directed to the Northern Oklahoma Humane Society in Ponca City, Oklahoma. Envelopes are available and may be sent in care of Roberts and Son Funeral Home.
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