Nova June Minyard Schafer

December 22, 1929 – June 10, 2021

Nova June Minyard was born, the third child, in her rural family home outside of Colony, Oklahoma to Simon Perry and Easter Comell Jones Minyard.  She is preceded in death by her parents, her older brothers and their wives, whom she regarded as sisters, James and Hope Minyard and Denzle and Mildred "Lee" Minyard, and two sons-in-law Marshall Gregory and Adam Sewell.

Nova June is survived by her beloved lineage of three children and spouses: Reece Allen and Barbara Dudley, Diana June "Dee" Gregory, Nova Lynn Long, and Gary and Glenna Long.  Her grandchildren and spouses: Deanna and Ricky Mahoney, Chris and Glenda Gregory, Shannon and DeeAnn Gregory, Amber and Chris Hudson, and Mae and Brian Thomas.  Grand children: Zach Higgins, Ryan Mahoney, Jake Gregory, Stephen Gregory, and Nicholas Gregory.

Nova June spent her lifetime in many different fields of work, beginning with cleaning hotel rooms and working in the kitchen of a diner with her mother, to working in her son's coffee distribution business, and concluding with assisting customers at her daughter's and subsequently grand-daughter's pet store.  She was known for doing a job right, and making a friend of every customer.  Other Weatherford establishments benefited from her time and work ethic including her time as a manager at The Southwestern Motel, a pastry chef at The Porterhouse Café, and a film processor at Owl Photo.

Her marriage to her second husband, Ken Schafer who was in the air force, allowed her the opportunity to see and live many places including Ohio, Indiana, New Mexico, Washington DC, and Hawaii, but the farm in Oklahoma was always "Home."  She frequently came back to and finally settled at her family home south of Weatherford, OK.  All of her life's journeys always took her where she was needed most by those that she loved, which was always her foremost priority, thus leading her back to Oklahoma and "the farm," to care for her mother.

Nova June loved gardening and painting.  Her family homestead is full of the irises she loved, as well as many of her descendants' gardens, and their homes are graced by the presence of her works on canvas. A love of music steeped in gospel and bluegrass was deeply ingrained at an early age by her parents and "fiddle-playing" brothers.  She went on to instill this love in many of her children and grandchildren, playing with them at many festivals and local engagements over the years.  Nova June loved her savior Jesus Christ and endeared many by following his loving and kind example.

The family asks that all who wish to please attend a graveside remembrance and interment of ashes at 11:00 AM on June 19 ^th 2021 at Greenwood Cemetery in Weatherford, followed by a "come and go" Celebration of Life in the lobby of Hudson Technology Solutions/The Aquarium, 10319 N 2410 Rd, in Weatherford.