Margaret "Marge" L. Brakefield

On December 9, 2024, Marge Kouba Brakefield left this mortal Earth to earn her eternal reward. If you were privileged to know her, you know she believed that life was a giant canvas, and her job was to throw as much paint on it as possible. When you stood near her, you were certain to get some of her paint splattered on you. Margaret 'Marge' Lillian Kouba Brakefield was born on January 11, 1929 in Yukon, Oklahoma to Joseph and Christine Kouba. Both of her grandfathers on the Kouba and Mach sides came as emigrants from Czechoslovakia. She attended Spring Creek School, Yukon High School, and Draughn's Business College. She worked as a saleslady and fashion model at Kerr's Department Store and at the Halaberton's Department Store, both located in Oklahoma City. In 1947, Marge was crowned Yukon High School's Football Queen. The football player who crowned her that night was named Dave. On May 16, 1953 she married that football player - the love of her life, David Clark Brakefield. They had three children, David Bradley, Christina Jo, and Michael Clark. Marge built her life on three pillars: faith, family, and community. Oftentimes, her contributions to those facets of her life intermingled. She celebrated her faith by being an active, devoted, and faithful member of St John Nepomuk Catholic Church and the Altar Society for over fifty years.  Marge served on many church committees, and there isn't a committee in the Altar Society that she didn't help or serve on, including being the chairman, especially during the 1960s, 70s and early 80s. She also served as the Altar Society President, Vice President, and Treasurer. Her devotion didn't stop there. Marge helped organize the High School Junior/Senior mass and reception, as well as first communion breakfasts. She helped with the bishop's overseas clothing drive, the parish garage sale, the fight against abortion, and worked on too many bake sales to count. She made sure the annual Altar Society Registration Tea was a social and elegant affair, making Alter Society members feel like they had been granted a rare privilege by attending. She was always ready to visit hospital patients and the sick with the Helping Hands Committee, as well as visiting shut-ins, senior citizen homes, new babies, newcomers to the parish, and the residents of Cottonwood Manor. She extended a helping hand to people in the parish who were down on their luck by holding fundraisers for money and food. She also cooked funeral dinners and made caring visits to offer condolences when there was a death in the parish. Marge established the long-lasting St. John's monthly newsletter, What's New from Hills View, to the delight of all in the parish. As a result of all her contributions to the life of her church, Marge was selected by the OKC District Council of Catholic Women to serve on their board and was asked and encouraged by DCCW to represent them as their chairwoman of Community Affairs Commissions, which she gladly accepted. The OKC DCCW, St. John Parish, and the Oklahoma Department of Community Affairs were all proud of Marge for the fine work she accomplished for many Oklahoma communities within her first year of being on the board. In March of the following year, Marge received a call from the Office of the President's Committee Volunteering Active Chairman, who was calling from the White House's private hotline, praising Marge for all of her work that had been reported to his office. She was a permanent fixture at the school and stayed in close contact with school affairs, especially when her children and grandchildren attended. Marge served as secretary of the school's first PTC Board. She would be found in the school library on a weekly basis for ten years. She held book fairs and organized country music shows at the old Czech Hall that raised money to buy furniture and many, many books. She was homeroom mother for fourteen years and helped raffle off a car that took students and the priest to a ski resort in Purgatory, Colorado. Marge helped raise money for a painting of Virgin and Child, and a trophy case in the school was another class project of hers. She brought the first professional life-like haunted house to the area. The monies from that went to St John's school, their boy scout program, and UNICEF. Her next endeavor was "The Outlaws Came to Town," which involved the gunslingers from Frontier City amusement park, who took up residence in Yukon. That event made more money that October for the school than the Altar Society made selling Kolaches at the Czech Festival, which was no small feat. She held school assemblies on the early history of the parish and the town of Yukon and organized a Royal Tea Party that won't ever be forgotten. It has been said that she started Project Graduation when her three children graduated from Yukon High School. She and her husband celebrated those milestones with parties for the three graduating classes their children were part of. These included a Hawaiian luau at the Habana Inn in Oklahoma City, a barn dance at the old Czech Hall, and a party at Doc Severinsen's club in Oklahoma City with a Las Vegas show and dance. Marge held style shows with different styles of school uniforms and encouraged the school board to look into starting school uniforms at St. Johns, which they did. She wanted the school to be as fine a school as it possibly could be and refused to believe that the school would have to close when she was told there were no funds and no nuns to teach. "We didn't have the funds when it opened, but we, the parishioners, raised it, and we will do it again," was her response. She stuck her foot in the door and did not allow it to close until she got what she wanted. Her love for her community was apparent. She was a true fan of Yukon and one of its top promoters. If you lived in Yukon, you almost certainly knew about Marge. A partial list of her contributions to the community and her accolades includes:  Being Yukon's Citizen of the Year, being inducted into Yukon's Historical Society Wall of Fame, being a longtime member of the National Cowboy and Western Museum, Nashville's Country Music Association (the CMA), OU'S Mothers Club, Yukon's Ladies Library Club, Yukon Art League, and Yukon Public School Foundation for Excellence. She was also involved in The Christmas Nutcracker, The Oklahoma Opry Cancer Research, Yukon Historical Societies Fann and Railroad Museum, Veterans Memorial, Compassionate Hands, Yukon Community Education Advisory Council, Foundation Board of Directors at the Integris Canadian Valley Regional Hospital, North OKC Christian Women's Connection, and The OKC Gamma Book Club. She was also involved in relighting the mill in Yukon. After living ninety-five joyful and purpose-filled years, Marge left us. She is preceded by her husband, Dave Brakefield, parents, Joseph and Christine Kouba, brother, Joseph Fred Kouba and sister. Shirley Joan Kouba.  She is survived by her son, Brad Brakefield and his wife Kathy, her daughter; Tina Brakefield Hawkins and her husband Kirk, and her son, Michael Brakefield and his wife Leslie. She is also survived by eight grandchildren, twelve great-grandchildren, four step-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the:  Oklahoma Heart Hospital, 4050 W. Memorial Rd., Oklahoma City, OK 73120, or EWTN – A Global Catholic Television Network, 5817 Old Leeds Rd., Irondale. AL 73210-9768. A viewing will be held beginning at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, December 12, 2024, at Yanda & Son Funeral Home in Yukon, Oklahoma, followed by a Wake and Rosary Service at 6:00 p.m. at the same location. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:00 a.m. on Friday,  December 13, 2024, at St. John Nepomuk Catholic Church in Yukon, Oklahoma with interment to follow at Yukon Cemetery.