Kitty Marjorie Kathryn Stoia

Marjorie Kathryn “Kitty” Stoia, 93, of Bartlesville, passed away peacefully surrounded by her loving family on October 19, 2022. Kitty was born on April 20, 1929, in Hettinger, North Dakota, to Roy Harold and Marjorie Matilda (née Arndorfer) Frank. Kitty was primarily raised on her family’s farm near Morristown, South Dakota, where she had many cherished experiences that she carried throughout her life, often sharing those memories with her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She attended a one-room schoolhouse, milked cows, learned to drive by the age of twelve and on snowy days traveled to school via a horse-drawn sleigh alongside her siblings. For high school she attended a boarding school called St. Martin’s Academy where she was a cheerleader, active in drama, played clarinet in the band and played on the basketball team where she began her lifelong love of the game. She continued to be a skilled shooter who could hit a shot from the “killer corner” throughout her life, much to the delight of her grandchildren. Kitty was always proud to be a productive working woman and started her adult life working in Dayton’s department store in Minneapolis. Soon she discovered her professional calling and enrolled in the Presentation School of Nursing in Aberdeen, South Dakota. Upon graduation she began working as a Registered Nurse, and soon after met the love of her life, George Stoia of Aberdeen. They were married on June 20, 1953, and their first home was a Quonset hut near the Northern College campus where George was attending classes. The young newlyweds welcomed their first child, Mary Kay, a year later and soon relocated to Madison, Wisconsin, so George could continue his studies at the University of Wisconsin. Upon George’s graduation the growing family (with new baby Linda) moved to Bartlesville where George would establish himself as an agent for the Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company and Kitty would start her long career at Jane Phillips Hospital. Bartlesville became Kitty’s home, and the Stoia family grew to include Annie, Sam and Elizabeth (“Tooter”). Ever on the cutting edge of the medical profession, Kitty was proud to be involved in several major advancements in medical care. In Bartlesville, she participated in many “firsts” for the community such as the first tympanoplasty surgery wherein a man’s hearing was completely restored. In 1970, she established the first “scrub tech” course in Bartlesville to train Certified Operating Room Technicians at the Tri-County Vocational School. Although she enjoyed her time working on novel medical procedures, some of her most rewarding career moments came as a labor and delivery nurse, and she delighted in seeing the children she helped deliver many years later while running errands around Bartlesville after she retired in 1991. As a mother and grandmother, she was without compare. She was known for several family-favorite dishes including kolache, mostaccioli, homemade pies, Christmas cookies and her inimitable pancakes. Holidays at her home were legendary for her ability to make every member of her large family feel that she prepared something individually for them. For many of her grandchildren, the highlight of their year was a summer trip to stay with her and George to attend the Arts Encounters camp. She was a devout Catholic and longtime parishioner at St. John Catholic Church who was often called on by others to make special intercessory prayers when they were experiencing health problems or expecting babies. She remained physically active throughout her life and was a regular patron of the Wellness Connection at Jane Phillips, where she was frequently asked to return to her career as a nurse. She loved to listen to music, travel with her family, attend her grandchildren’s sporting events and watch college basketball (she always had the best March Madness bracket). She was well-liked by the entire Bartlesville community and will be sorely missed. She was preceded in death by her parents, her siblings – Bill Frank, Dorothy Pudwill, and Ronald “Buzz” Frank, her husband George and her daughter Elizabeth. She is survived by her children Mary Kay and husband Joe Van Tuyl of Stroud; Linda and husband Mark Lepak of Claremore; Annie and husband Robert Henderson of Brighton, CO; and Sam and wife Trish Stoia of Tulsa; along with her grandchildren Katie (née Van Tuyl) and husband Kevin McIntyre, Laura (née Van Tuyl) and husband Dana Collins, Jennifer Van Tuyl, Joseph Van Tuyl, Sarah Lepak, Billy Lepak and wife Jenna, Ben Lepak and wife Sarah, Bobby Lepak and wife Paige, Brian Lepak and wife Colleen, Seana Stoia, George Stoia III, Nick Stoia, and Maddie Stoia; and her great grandchildren Molly and Maggie McIntyre; Julia and Luke Collins; Will, Cate, Lucy, Emma and Abby Lepak; Teddy, Paul and Daisy Lepak; Livie, Violet and Evangeline Lepak; and Thomas, Penny and Luke Lepak. Visitation will be held Thursday, October 27th from 10 am to 4 pm at the Davis Family Funeral Home and Crematory – Walker Brown Chapel, 918-333-7665, 4201 Nowata Rd, Bartlesville. A rosary will be said on Thursday at 5:30 pm, in the St John Before the Latin Gate Roman Catholic Church. Funeral mass will be held Friday, October 28th at 11 am in the St John Before the Latin Gate Roman Catholic Church. Interment will follow in the Memorial Park Cemetery. Services are under the direction of Carter Davis and the Davis Family Funeral Home and Crematory – Walker Brown Chapel. Online condolences and remembrances may be shared at www.DavisFamilyFuneralHome.com.

Kitty Marjorie Kathryn Stoia

April 20, 1929 - October 19, 2022