Grace Irene Booker's Obituary
Grace Irene was born July 24, 1924 in Salem, Missouri, the second daughter and fourth child to N. B. and Mattie Ruddell. The youngest brother was born after the family moved to Oklahoma. As a young child the family also lived in Chelsea, Henrietta, and McAlester, OK where her father worked on the highway and was a guard at the State penitentiary in McAlester. In the late 1930’s the family moved to Oklahoma City, where Irene attended Capitol Hill High School. She didn’t graduate high school, but instead was needed at home to help care for the family. In 1943 Irene married Lynn Shepard who was a Navy Sea-Bee. They had two children, Johnnie Lynn, and Lynette Sue who were born in Oklahoma City, but raised in Midwest City. In 1949 they divorced and Irene and the children moved in with her parents and two uncles. In 1950, Irene met the love of her life, Howard L. Booker, Jr. After a four year courtship they were married on April 9, 1955 at the Wickline Methodist Church in Midwest City. They rented a house and became a happy family. In 1960 they were able to purchase their own home and resided there until Howard transferred to North Island Naval Base, San Diego, as a civilian airplane mechanic. The family moved, happily giving up heat, humidity, hail storms, tornadoes and snow!After Howard Booker passed away in 1971 Irene moved to Orange County, then Hemet to be near family. In 2000 Irene moved back to San Diego to be near her daughter and her family and to be in a cooler climate than Hemet.Irene is preceded in death by her parents, all her siblings and their spouses, one niece, Lynn Shepard, and Howard L. Booker, Jr.She is survived by her loving children, Johnnie (Mary) Shepard, Rhone, Texas and Lynette Williamson, San Diego. Grandchildren are Jennifer (Troy) Shequin, Eugene, Oregon, Julie Shepard Warren, Folsom, California, Leslie (Eric) de Leeuwerk, Midland Park, New Jersey, and Eric (Bree-Anna) Williamson, Lakeside, California, three Great-granddaughters, many loving nieces, nephew and longtime family friends.
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