Leona Glen Thacker Strong

Leona Glen Thacker Strong was born at Granite, Oklahoma to James Lester Thacker and Gladys Coop Thacker on February 4th, 1935. She joined four other siblings who were raised on a farm.

She attended school at Ozark and Granite and graduated from Granite High School in 1953. She attended Panhandle State University where she met the love of her life, Harold Strong. They were married in 1954 at Granite, Oklahoma.

After college, they moved to Altus, Oklahoma where they started their family and were soon blessed with three beautiful children; Vicki, Gary, and Pam. They moved to Ada, Oklahoma in 1968.

Leona worked as an assistant in a private kindergarten. She also did bookkeeping and worked for the Pontotoc County Election Board. She later worked for 35 years in ladies and children’s fashion clothing stores in Ada.

She loved watching birds and feeding hummingbirds and working in her flower beds.

Leona was a faithful member of the Southwest church of Christ. She loved serving God and treasured her church family. In her earlier years, she taught children’s classes and VBS and served in various other areas within the church.

She was known as Nana to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren and was always at all their activities while they were growing up. She was also an avid OU and OKC Thunder fan.

She is survived by her son, Gary Strong and his wife, Teresa, and daughter, Pam Butler and her husband, Jeff. Grandchildren: Bradley Butler and his wife, Chelsea, Laura Gould and her husband, Willie, Brooke Flippin and her husband, Seth, and Brett Butler. Great-Grandchildren: Dallas Gould, Baker Butler, Cameron Butler, Wyatt Flippin, and Owen Flippin.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Harold, in 1986, daughter, Vicki, in 2019, and all her siblings: Preston Thacker, Kenneth Thacker, James Don Thacker, and Nelda Smith.

Services will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, at Southwest Church of Christ; Mr. Brian Lewis and Mr. Jeff Butler will officiate. Burial will follow at Memorial Park Cemetery.

Memorials may be sent to: In Search of the Lord’s Way