Etta Mae Sellers

Etta Mae (Edna Mae Heiman) was born in Dimmitt, TX on May 19, 1931, the oldest of 5 children born to Alphonse M. “Shorty” Heiman and Isabelle F. (Ball) Heiman. She passed on Sept. 30, 2019 in Tulsa, OK. All four siblings survive her- JoAnne Bowen, Julene Gerber, Dennis Heiman and wife, Dolores, and Ony Taylor.

She grew up and went to school in Nazareth, TX and at age 18 married Paul Kleman on Sept. 19, 1950. They began to grow their family before moving to Vian, OK in 1963, where Paul owned a dairy. Together they had nine children. After Paul’s death in 1977, Etta moved to Sallisaw. On December 6, 1980, she married Bill Sellers and inherited 5 more children. She was a loving mother to her children, step children and countless others who called her “Mom”. She moved to Tahlequah where she and Bill lived and worked at War Eagle Resort for many years. She also cleaned the church rectory, cooked for the American Legion and Young at Heart. After Bill passed in 2004, Etta Mae moved back to Sallisaw near her son, Jeff and his wife, Lynn. She continued her immense volunteer service to the church and Catholic Charities where she was honored as an Outstanding Volunteer and loved her work and friends there. She moved to Glencoe, with son, Dale and his wife, Joyce in 2018.

Etta Mae was preceded in death by her parents; husbands- Paul Kleman and Bill Sellers; four sons- Dwight Kleman, Darrell Kleman, Bruce Kleman and Carl Sellers; two daughters- Nadine Kleman Sellers and Rhonda Kleman Cole; and granddaughter Jennifer Kleman Hunter.

She is survived by her siblings, her children- Craig Kleman & wife Donna (Abilene, TX), Denise Kleman Kupiec (Locust Grove), Jeff Kleman & wife Lynn (Sallisaw), Dale Kleman & wife, Joyce

(Glencoe), Gary Sellers (Coweta), Donna Sellers Stewart (Porum), Sherry Sellers (Blanchard), and Danny Sellers (Ft. Gibson) plus 23 grandchildren, 45 great grandchildren, 10 great great grandchildren and many extended family and friends.

This saint of a lady suffered immense loss in her lifetime, yet always had a smile on her face and a kind word. Her faith was foremost in her life. We celebrate that she is reunited with those who have gone before her. Proverbs 31: 25-30

Services are Friday, 1:00 P.M. October 18, 2019 at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Sallisaw with Fr. Jeff Polasek officiating. A visitation will be held 10:30 A. M. until 12:00 P.M. at the St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church. Memorials may be made to Catholic Charities, St. Francis Xavier Church or St. Jude’s. Services were entrusted to Poteet Funeral Home, friends can leave a memory for the family at www.poteetfuneralhome.com