Connie Jualeah George

Story of Connie, According to Teri

Connie Jualeah Eslinger Starr Marrs George was born February 8, 1937 at the Claremore Indian Hospital to her biologic father Raymond and her mother Naomi Maxine. She often said that she was the only “white” baby in the hospital. Ha! Her Department of Interior birth record states she is 1/4 Cherokee from the Northeast tribe.

She was born approximately 2 years after her brother Douglas Starr was born. Both Doug and Connie’s BIOLOGIC father was 1/2 Cherokee Indian. They had a sister, Dixie, who passed in infancy. Connie and Doug were later adopted by their “daddy” LeRoy Titus Starr after their mother Naomi married a second time. Her early childhood years were spent on north Quaker Street in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

During WWII, she and Doug were sent to a boarding school in Arkansas while both of their parents contributed to the war effort. Her “daddy” LeRoy Titus Starr was an air force pilot, and her mother, Naomi Maxine Starr worked at Douglas Aircraft Company, later know as McDonald-Douglas Aircraft Company as an inspector. “Mac” (as she was known) was only 4’10” tall and could easily fit in the nose cone of an aircraft to inspect the wiring.

There were MANY stories of life at the boarding school passed down to her children, Teri Marrs-Nichols, and Tommy Marrs, Jr. Later, these stories were shared with her grandchildren, Tom Hoggatt, Jr, Brandi Marrs-Crawford, Christina Nichols-Morsey, Christian Marrs, Shelby Marrs, Patrick Marrs, and her Great-grandson Kayden Hodges, especially when an important life-lesson was to be learned when they misbehaved.

When Connie was around 13 or 14 years of age, she received one of the greatest JOYS of her life, her own baby brother, Gary Leroy Starr. She would often share stories of how she carried him on her hip everywhere she went, and his feet didn’t touch the ground until he was 6 years old!

Connie graduated school in 1955 from Will Rogers High School, Tulsa, Oklahoma. She married her high school sweetheart, Tommy F Marrs, in 1957. She was an excellent student, and won many awards in “shorthand” from the Gregg Shorthand company. Shorthand is a language unto itself—most people called it “chicken scratch”. After graduation she went to work as a secretary for a prominent lawyer in Tulsa.

During the 1960’s Connie began working for Guaranty National bank in Tulsa. Her career successfully grew until she was named “Assistant Cashier” which was an honor for her. In the late 60’s she opened a NEW bank in Catoosa Oklahoma, the First Bank of Catoosa as the Cashier. One of her most exciting moments there was when she got to attend the inauguration of the Kerr-McClellan Navigation System. While she was working at the Catoosa bank, she was able to help MANY PEOPLE with small business loans and home loans. That always made her so proud.

In 1971, Connie was divorced and married her second husband, Merl George. Merl worked for American Airlines which allowed her to travel to MANY exotic places around the globe, including Acapulco, Hawaii, and Europe. She really enjoyed traveling. They had a trailer house on lake Hudson, a mini-motor home and a boat. She spent MANY weekends at the lake water skiing, boating making memories with her family and friends.

Eventually Connie took a daring change of career as a teacher. With NO experience as a teacher, she applied for and GOT the position as a banking instructor at Tulsa Vo-Tech, later known as Tulsa Technology Center. She EXCELLED as a teacher, placing many of her students in valuable banking positions at numerous financial institutions across the community. Her students truly loved her, and many of them would connect with her after graduation. While working at tech, a great honor for her was to be asked to be an exchange teacher to Japan. She said that she was a BIG HIT in Japan because of her fiery red hair!  Apparently there weren’t many people with red hair in Japan at that time. Ha! She absolutely loved her job, and continued teaching until her retirement in 1996.

During her Vo-Tech tenure she was teaching school during the day, and taking college classes at night, eventually graduating from Oklahoma State University with a Bachelor of Education degree.

Just before retiring, Connie purchased a new home in the country with “land” — 90 acres of land. Her goal was to have ALL her family live around her. She enjoyed the country life having chickens, goats, horses, cows, geese, Guinea fowl, cats, dogs, and abundant fish in her pond. Her constant companion, Bob Schoultz, helped her care for the animals. The views out her back windows are breathtaking, and she enjoyed watching the numerous birds on her feeders, and the most gorgeous Oklahoma sunsets you will ever see.

Connie’s final years were spent in her picturesque farm home sitting on the patio, pulling dandelions, doing puzzles, crossword puzzles, painting, coloring in adult coloring books, and reading. She was an avid reader, and never got tired of reading the Tulsa World. She really enjoyed receiving and reading greeting cards, and got SO MANY from her “adopted” daughter Yoli. She loved EVERY card and kept most of them her whole life. She often rode as a passenger on the 4-wheeler, even into her 80’s surveying her land. She will be forever young at heart!

An AVID Scrabble player, Connie would play endless hours with her dear friend Moniqué Beers. It was QUITE the competition! They ACTUALLY kept a running total of how many games each of them had won throughout the years! As Connie grew older, she received so much love and care from her friend’s daughter, who is also named Monique. It was, in-part, because of Monique’s love and care that allowed Connie to remain in her own home her entire life.

Even though it hardly ever happens, Connie became dear friends with her first husband’s new wife Jeanie Marrs. They both enjoyed painting and enjoyed MANY hours of painting on canvas, crafting together, and “girl talk” about Tommy. She painted well over 50 paintings with Jeanie! They had so much fun doing it.

Connie LOVED and adored ALL of her children, grandchildren, great grandchild, and ALL her adopted in-law family. She has so much love to give, she welcomed Vanda, Ron, Racheal, Brandon, and Maverick with open arms and would speak of how proud she was of them. She never let them leave without an “I love you more, of course.” As if that was the final say in the matter. She ALWAYS wanted the best for them, and would help them any way she could. If she could have raised them ALL herself, she certainly would have. To her, they were all hers!

It’s hard to put down in writing 86 years of a life WELL-lived. It’s IMPOSSIBLE to convey into words just how truly funny, smart, sweet, kind, loving, and precious she is. God let us have her for 86 marvelous years. Now is her time to be in glory! If you had the privilege of knowing her, then your life is better for it. We draw comfort in KNOWING we WILL see her again soon because Jesus is her Savior. If you want that SAME ASSURANCE, make SURE Jesus is YOUR Savior. We will ALL be together very soon!

Revelation 21:3-4 (NKJV) 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God [is] with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them [and be] their God. 4 “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

Private Family Services for Connie will be held.

Family and friends are invited to share memories online at www.brownfamilycares.com. The family of Connie George entrusted her care and services to Brown Funeral Home & Cremations, 210 S. Broadway, Coweta, OK, 74429, 918-486-5515.