Mary Jean Baden

Mary Jean Baden passed away at the Porta Caeli House, Tulsa, OK on Monday, March 31, 2025 at the age of 81, following a long illness.

Mary Jean Eckley was born April 19, 1943 to Floyd and Beatrice Eckley in Ludington, MI.  Mary graduated from Ludington High School in 1961 where she participated in Tumbling, Volleyball, Track, Rifle Club and Art Club.  Her classmates called her “Small in height, great in might”.  After graduation, she worked at the Ludington watch case factory.  On October 8, 1960, she met her future husband through her best friend’s brother at Johnny’s Skate Center/Bandstand.  She married John W. Baden Jr. on December 30, 1961 in Ludington, MI.

Visitation will be Noon to 8:00 pm, Wednesday, Apil 2, 2025 at the Collinsville Dolton Funeral Home. The family will be present from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm.

Funeral Services will be 10:00 am, Thursday, April 3, 2025 at the Collinsville Dolton Funeral Home Chapel with Chaplain Roger Sheppard officiating. Interment will follow at the Oak Hill Cemetery in Oologah.

John and “Little Red”, as she was affectionately called, moved to Tulsa, OK in 1962, where they began their entrepreneurial ventures.  They welcomed Sandy in1963 and the twins (Janice & John) in 1966.  They soon relocated to Oologah where they built their house and lived for the last 57 years.

Mary worked part-time at Oologah Schools for many years driving bus #8 but her primary jobs were being the COO, CFO and Domestic Engineer of the Baden household.  She was a creative crafter and a carpenter – making everything from shelves, a tool shed, dog house, refinishing furniture to sewing the kids clothes, knitting and crocheting, tending the garden/canning or assisting John in one of their many businesses (selling lumber, worm farm, bird farm, welding, canoe manufacturing, raising cattle or the antique and collectible store).  There was nothing she wouldn’t or couldn’t do; and worked hard at everything she and John set their sites on together.  However, her greatest achievement was being “mom” and “grandma”, attending all their events possible, each of their graduations and birth of each grandchild.

Mary is survived by her husband John of 63 years, her son John and wife, Angela, of Oologah, OK, daughter Sandra Cox and husband, Larry, of Wichita, KS, and daughter Janice Kustera and husband, Glenn, of Hackettstown, NJ.; Six Grandchildren: Shelby Shaffer, Joshua Baden, Jason Cox, Brett Cox, Amber Cox and Collin Kustera.  She is also survived by her siblings: Phillip Eckley formerly of Ludington, MI and sister, Susie Jabrocki, of Scottville, MI, her dearest sister-in-law, Dorothy Clouser, of Pineville, LA, and her closest 2nd cousin, Linda Young, of Wichita, KS.  Additionally, she is survived by her niece, Tracey Jabrocki, and nephews, Jeff Jabrocki and Kristian Eckley, all of Michigan.  She was preceded in death by her parents, Floyd and Bea Eckley, and her brother, Michael Eckley, all of Ludington, MI.

In lieu of flowers, donations are requested in her memory to Porta Caeli House at Catholic Charities, 2440 N. Harvard Ave. Tulsa, OK 74115.  https://cceok.org/porta-caeli-house.

Services are under the direction of Collinsville Dolton Funeral Home.