Martha McCormick Fry

Martha McCormick Fry was called to heaven and greeted by the Lord on July 8, 2026. She was born in Spiro, Oklahoma on July 9,1945 and was an only child raised by her loving parents, Alice Mae Brooks of Blackwell, OK and Richard H. Brooks of Cowley County, KS.

Martha grew up in Arkansas City, KS, a small town on the border of Oklahoma and Kansas, that prospered from oil, agricultural, manufacturing and the Santa Fe Railroad.  Martha’s family raised wheat in Cowley and Sumner counties and lived a wholesome, hardworking, Christ centered life on a beautiful farm house built in the late 1800’s. Martha had many pets including a couple of horses who she loved very much.  Her mother, Alice Brooks, designed and sewed by hand all of her clothes which gave Martha an early appreciation for style and fashion, but music was her true passion. Martha played the violin for her high school orchestra that won many state awards. And at the early age of 10 and through high school she was a piano and organ accompanist at Central Christian Church in Ark City where her father was a vocalist in the choir and taught Sunday School.

As Martha grew older she had bigger ideas and dreams of becoming a nurse and left her hometown of Ark City to attend the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond, and later moved to Tulsa, OK to pursue her career as a medical executive assistant. While in Tulsa, she met and married Robert G Fry Jr on a blind date and while dating they enjoyed ballroom dancing and could often be found at the Copa Club in Tulsa dancing the night away. They raised three, children, Tami Fry-Kinley, Hap Fry, Jr., and Ashley Fry. Martha enjoyed being a homemaker and was an active member at The First United Methodist Church where she volunteered as a Sunday School teacher when the kids are young, participated in fundraisers for missions and helped in the church library when needed. Martha was also a devout member of The Builder’s Sunday School class which became not only a part of the weekly routine on Sundays, but a way of life with a close circle of friends through a weekly bible study and social life outside of the church.

Martha had many qualities and talents but definitely had style and a zest for life in her early adult life. She was a familiar sight at church or running errands with her perfectly coiffed hair and make up, her bright red lipstick and her sparkling accessories and colorful clothes. While at Grace Jenks Nursing Home she maintained her spirit and even orneriness until the end. Many nurses commented how much she will be missed. They loved her firecracker personality, humor and her antics even while bed ridden.

Martha McCormick Fry peacefully passed away in her sleep at Grace Living Center in Jenks, OK on July 8, 2026, one day before her 82nd birthday. Her oldest daughter, Tami was by her side that evening holding her hand and singing some of their favorite songs. Martha is survived by her children, Tami Fry-Kinley of Tulsa OK, Hap Fry III of Ft. Collins CO, and Ashley Fry of Boerne TX, and her grandchildren Jackson Brooks Kinley and wife Isabel Rose Kinley of Denver CO, Caroline Ivy Kinley of Chicago IL, Lily Faith Kinley of San Antonio TX, Davis Elliot Kinley of Dallas TX, and Clarke James Derdzinski of Boerne, TX and a host of other relatives and friends. She will be laid to rest at Calvary Cemetery in Tulsa and a celebration of life will be held at First United Methodist Church in late August for friends and family. May Martha McCormick Fry rest in peace, remain in hearts forever and be cured of all that ailed her while here on earth.