Margaret Fikes

Special visitation will be at Lawton Ritter Gray Funeral Home on Tuesday, November 12 from 5:00 - 7:00 PM

Funeral service will be held on Wednesday, November 13 at 10:00 AM at the Hulen United Methodist Church, in Hulen OK with burial at Highland Cemetery in Lawton.

Margaret Rose Fikes, 82, of Geronimo, OK, passed away peacefully Saturday, November 9, 2024 in Burkburnett, TX. Margaret was born October 8, 1942 in Shawnee, OK to John “Frosty” Phillips and Helen Offill Phillips. She graduated in 1960 from Geronimo High School and was the Valedictorian of her class and an All-State basketball player.

She attended Cameron State Agricultural College and was a cheerleader when the Aggies won the Jr. Rose Bowl in Pasadena in 1961.

Margaret married Wayne Ressel in 1962 and they had two sons, Greg Allen, and Mark Wayne before Wayne was tragically killed in a rodeo accident in 1967.

Margaret decided she needed to go back to college after Wayne’s death to complete her degree so she could support her two young boys. It was at Cameron a couple of years later that she met Gene Fikes in an English class. They became friends and eventually, Gene convinced her to go on a date. On January 28, 1970, Gene and Margaret were married. Their son, Cory, came along in July of 1971, completing their family.

Margaret graduated from Cameron State Agricultural College in 1970 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Education and taught business classes for one year at Apache before the family moved to Savanna, OK. Margaret went back to school after Cory was born to get her elementary education certification and taught at Haywood Elementary for several years before the family moved back to the Lawton area in 1977. She and Gene taught at Cache for 21 years. They went back to school to get their master’s degrees in education at SWOSU, graduating in 1986 and Margaret completed her career in education as the elementary principal at Cache. She received the Administrators Award in 1994 from the Lawton Area Reading Council.

Margaret was an avid golfer and loved to travel. After retirement in 1998, she and Gene took many trips together and they saw the world. Their three sons gave them nine grandchildren and they loved to stay busy following the grandkids’ activities and ballgames. Margaret was especially proud that all three of her sons and all nine of her grandchildren went to college and got their degrees.

Margaret was a life-long member of the Hulen Methodist Church, where she served on numerous committees and led the singing for many years. She was active in the retired teachers’ organization in Lawton and also Pioneer Women for several years.

Survivors include: her three sons, Greg Ressel and his wife Elizabeth of Lawton, Mark Fikes and his wife Tamra of Marlow, and Cory Fikes and his wife Amy of Grandfield; nine grandchildren: Tyler Fikes and his wife Savannah, Kyle Ressel, Katie Verser and husband Casey, Cody Ressel, Lindsey Hintz and husband John, Kalyn Bower and husband Brian, Nathan Fikes, Tanner Ressel and wife Nancy, and Bradyn Fikes; 13 great-grandchildren and two brothers, John Phillips and wife, Kathy, of Oklahoma City and George Phillips, and wife, Judy, of Geronimo, and a very special great niece, Kenzie McCracken.

Margaret was proceeded in death by her parents and two husbands.