Rebecca Giddens Ely, 92, passed from this life on Monday, March 26, 2001. Her service was Wednesday, March 28, at 1:30 PM in the Hastings Baptist Church with Bro. Ken Coleman and Bro. Bill Florez officiating. Burial was in the Hastings Cemetery under the direction of Dudley Funeral Home of Waurika, Oklahoma.

Rebecca Ely was born January 29, 1909 to Henry Green Giddens and Rebecca Elizabeth Ritter Giddens at Giddens Orchard in Stephens County west of Comanche, Oklahoma. She attended Diamond and Union schools. Rebecca married Charles Craig (Chuck) Ely on October 13, 1926, in Duncan, Oklahoma. They made their home in and near Hastings with the exception of a few years when they traveled in construction work. He preceded her in death on October 15, 1984.

In 1935, Mrs. Ely helped organize the Ferguson Home Demonstration Club. She was the only active charter member when it disbanded in 1994. She had served as president, secretary and reporter on more than one occasion. She earned her fifty-year award in 1985. She won countless blue ribbons for her Jefferson County Fair entries, most of them in cooking categories. Mrs. Ely also enjoyed writing poetry, and her poem Our Town was published in 1987.

Until her health failed, Mrs. Ely worked tirelessly for her community. She was a member of the Order of the Eastern Star, serving more than one term as Worthy Matron. She was a member of Duncan Chapter 214. She and Mr. Ely were involved with the Hastings birthday celebrations in the 1980s. She was an active member of the First Baptist Church of Hastings, where she served as Sunday School secretary for over forty years. She was assistant rural mail carrier for Route 2, Hastings, for many years.

Mrs. Ely is survived by: four daughters and their families - Mr. and Mrs. O.H. (Ruth) Schreiner of Duncan, Oklahoma; Evelyn Randolph of Hastings; Mr. and Mrs. Bill J. (Juanita Babe) Brown of Duncan, and Drs. Wassel and Phyllis Beal of San Antonio, Texas; grandchildren - Mr. and Mrs. Matt (Joy Schreiner) Quigley, Jay Schreiner, Mr. and Mrs. Kirk Schreiner, LTC and Mrs. Thomas R. (Karen Brown) Lowe, Patrick Brown, Mr. and Mrs. Brant Bingamon, Jill Bingamon, and Mr. and Mrs. Stephano (Susan Denny) Rocolo, Gina Jordan, Isabelle Baker, Mr. and Mrs. Scott (Rebecca Randolph) Simpkin, Mr. and Mrs. Steven (Anita Randolph) Goza, and Mr. and Mrs. Charles Randolph; nineteen great-grandchildren; and two great-great grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation for Arthritis or Diabetes, Hastings Cemetery Fund, or Hastings Baptist Church.