Tula Fessenden

Tula D. (McCarty) Fessenden passed away on July 8, 2019. Tula was born August 17, 1931 and grew up in Norman, Oklahoma, graduating from Norman High School in 1949. She became a student at the University of Oklahoma and worked in the Sooner Theater, where she met her future husband, Wayne Fessenden. They were married December 30, 1950. She left college to work and support her family, beginning her career as a clerk-typist at Coates Abstract and Title Company. Over her 50+ year career she worked her way up from clerk to senior vice president at her final employer, Oklahoma City Abstract. She was a highly respected real estate closer, often requested by customers and responsible for some of the largest commercial closings, including the Quail Springs Mall.
In her spare time, she joined her husband in his passion for dog shows, visiting countless shows, including several World Dog Shows in foreign countries. She was an active church member participating in choir, handbells, women’s groups, mobile meals and governing bodies. An avid reader throughout her life, during her retirement she worked as a literacy coach for the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Library System, and then for Whiz Kids, a tutoring program for under-privileged children. Tula was also an accomplished knitter and a Sooners and Thunder fan.
She is preceded in death by her parents. She was survived for just four days by her husband Wayne Fessenden (Oklahoma City). Other survivors include her daughter Ann Fessenden and husband Ronald Bock (St. Louis, MO), sister Elvera Gresham and husband Steve (Norman) sister-in-law Betty Fessenden (Irving, TX), grandsons Michael Bunnell, Ronald Bock, Jr. and Michael Bock; great-grandchildren Thomas, Charles, and Suzann Bunnell; and Jordan, Emily and Regan Bock; nieces Shannon and Shirley Gresham and LeaAnn Fessenden; nephew Mark Fessenden; and great-nephew Jordan Gresham.