Jean Elizabeth Deaton

August 27, 1935 - August 1, 2026

Jean Elizabeth Reil Deaton was born August 27, 1935 In Edmonton Alberta Canada to William and Esther Reil. When she was 3, the family moved to Washington, where she spent her childhood growing up in Washington and Oregon with her 2 older brothers, August (Gus) and Clifford. She was the apple of her dad’s eye. When she was 18 years old, she began writing to soldiers in a pen pal program, meeting her future husband, James (Jim) Deaton, a US Marine, who served in the Korean War. When Jim got out of the service, he came to Oregon and they were married on December 27, 1954.

She became a mom with the birth of her first child, Jeff in 1956. Then came Jim, Karina, Andria and Matthew. In 1964, the family and her mom (who she cared for until she passed away) moved from Oregon to California where they bought a home in Ontario, California, and the kids spent their childhood there. Jean was active in church, she loved to sing in the choir, taught Sunday school, VBS and sold Avon. She loved the beach and spent summers taking her kids to Newport and Dana Point. She loved to sew, often making clothes for kids and Raggedy Ann Dolls.

She loved animals and the family always had a menagerie of dogs, cats and aquariums with fish, and eventually cockatiel birds. Jean and Jim started to travel in their later years, taking cruises and they both loved Hawaii, where they took many trips.

In 2010 Jim, Jean, along with their son Jeff and granddaughter Amanda, made the big move from California to Oklahoma to be near Matthew and his wife, Theresa, where they lived out the remainder of their lives.

She became Jim's caretaker when his health began to decline until his death in 2018. In 2026, she was cared for at Matthew’s home, where she passed from cancer and dementia on August 1, 2026. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Jim Deaton, parents William and Esther Reil, brothers Gus and Clifford Reil, son Jeff Deaton, son in law Daniel Pratt, grandson Nicholas Pratt and son in law Dennis Stapleton. She is survived by her remaining children Jim Deaton (Julie), Karina Stapleton, Andria Pratt-van Wulven (Bob), Matthew Deaton (Theresa). Also her beloved grandchildren Samantha Ainsworth (Jeff); Krista Wine and Kimberli Perez (Jim); Crystal Street, Amanda Needham, and Jaclyn Fernandez (Karina); Amanda Nelson, Daniel Pratt II, Heather Swanson, Michael Bagocus (Andria); and 26 great grandchildren with 1 on the way.

She will be interred with the love of her life James (Jim) at Fort Gibson National Cemetery in Fort Gibson Oklahoma.

Psalm 116:15 (NKJV) “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints.”