Norene Werner

Leona Norene Hungerford Werner was born October 26, 1927 in Dodge City, Kansas to Leonard and Violet Hungerford. She was the sister to the late Ken Hungerford of Helena, Oklahoma. She was a member of First Baptist Church, Helena, Oklahoma.

Norene attended Glenwood School in Enid, Oklahoma, then Pleasant Ridge Country School which was often called “Hungerford School”, and graduated from Helena High School in 1945. She worked at “The Drug Store” in Helena, Oklahoma, which her then future husband John Milton “Mick” Werner and his brother, “Shorty”, owned. She learned to make great malts and made them for years for her grandkids. After marriage, she was a farmer’s wife who cooked three meals a day and always made sure that all who worked, family and hired hands, in the wheat fields were well fed. During the early years of marriage, she would take full five course meals in her stainless steel until “Mick” had her scale down to sandwiches. But even then, she still always brought dessert, such as marshmallow pinwheel cookies, fresh canned peaches, homemade pie, and/or ice cream and plenty of Coca-Cola.

Norene married John Milton “Mick” Werner in Wichita, Kansas on September 26, 1946. They were married 64 years when “Mick” passed on January 7, 2011. They had three children: twins, Judy and Jody (who died shortly after birth) and Nicky Steven. She thoroughly enjoyed her eight grandchildren and fifteen great grandchildren. She also loved animals and had numerous pets including cats, dogs, parakeets, turtles, deer, racoons, skunks, llamas, and goats, who all got fed even better than the rest of the family. When the granddaughters were young she would sew dresses and other clothes for them. Then she decided to learn to paint and was a natural, painting well over 300 paintings, mostly sceneries where she would occasionally include one of her favorite pets or farm animals.

Survivors include her children Judy Grube and husband, Tommy of Helena, Oklahoma; Nicky Werner and his wife, Kay of Helena, Oklahoma; grandchildren, Tammy Looney of Fort Worth, Texas; Traci Steele of Helena, Oklahoma; Janet Burns and husband, John of Whitewright, Texas; Jill Vogel, and husband, Denis of McAlester, Oklahoma; Scotty Grube and wife, Ana of Helena, Oklahoma; Amanda Mason and husband, Lance of Ringwood, Oklahoma; Abby Mason, and husband, Trever of Ringwood, Oklahoma; Kacey Madden and husband, Ryan of Helena, Oklahoma; and great grandchildren, Ashley Monge and husband, Cion, Austin White, Braden Steele, Portland Dye, Meagan Burns, Madilyn Burns, Julia Mason, Olivia Norene Mason, Sadie Mason, Maddie Mason, Lane Mason, Reed Mason, Tresdon Janes, Gage Madden and Lillian Norene Grube.

Those preceding Norene in death include her husband, parents, brother, and infant son, Jody.

Funeral service for Norene will be Tuesday, March 7, 2017 at Helena First Baptist Church at 10:00 a.m. with burial at Good Hope Cemetery. There will be a guest book available at the funeral home on Monday 1:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. with family available to greet 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m.

Memorials may be made to Helena First Baptist Church or Baptist Children’s Home through the funeral home.