John Popkess

John Edwin Popkess, age 89 and a lifelong resident of Dewey, Oklahoma passed away on Monday, November 25, 2013 at Forrest Manor Nursing Home in Dewey. John was born on Leap Year Day, February 29, 1924, to Fred A. and Mary G. Popkess of Dewey. He graduated from Dewey High School and studied at the University of Oklahoma and Notre Dame, obtaining an Aeronautical Engineering degree. He served in the Navy during the closing stages of World War II and then returned to OU to complete his Pharmacy degree. He then joined his father in Popkess Pharmacy in Dewey. He became sole proprietor of Popkess Pharmacy, also known as The Corner Drug Store, in 1967 upon the retirement of his father, Fred, and worked a total of 54 years in the store; eventually selling the store upon his retirement. Over six decades as a Dewey businessman, John belonged to the Dewey Chamber of Commerce, the Board of Directors of The Dewey Bank and numerous civic organizations and committees. He was a knowledgeable and steady fixture at one end of Dewey's main street for over two generations, and was known for his generosity, ready smile and steadfast loyalty to his customers and community. He was, above all other things, a gentle man. John loved to fish and frequented the Bernice and Monkey Island areas of Grand Lake. John was also a member of the Oklahoma City Symphony Orchestra and the University of Oklahoma Symphony Orchestra, as a violinist. John is survived by his sister, Anita Lemley of San Antonio, Texas, by his first wife and the mother of his five children, Jeannette (Jones) Smithson of Bartlesville, and by those five children; John Craig Popkess of Brandon, Vermont; Joe Layne Popkess and his wife Cathy of Spring, Texas; Jeffrey Dale Popkess of Skiatook, Oklahoma, James Randall Popkess and his wife Marilyn of Coweta, Oklahoma; and Jeanne Lianne Brown and her husband Mark of Tulsa, Oklahoma; and by seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. John was preceded in death by his parents; Fred A. and Mary G. Popkess; his older brother Dr. Fred G. Popkess of Dallas, Texas; his daughter-in-law ‘Trish' (Howard) Popkess, and his wife of 34 years, Katherine (Reynolds) Popkess. Pallbearers will be his family.

Service Details

Saturday, November 30th, 2013 10:00am, Dewey United Methodist Church

Interment Details

Dewey, Oklahoma