Rae Jean (Swaim) Luper

,Rae Jean Swaim-Luper passed from this life into Heaven on August 21, 2023 in Claremore, Oklahoma.

Rae Jean was born on October 1, 1943 in Los Angeles, California to Raymond Eldred Swaim and Phyllis Jean Robbins Swaim, and she was the oldest of 7 siblings. Rae Jean and her siblings  were blessed to have their maternal grandmother, Katherine Robbins, very present in their lives as she lived with them and helped raise them.

Rae Jean received her education and graduated from Bell High School in 1961. She met George Davis in Bell, California and they married shortly after.  From this union they were blessed with 4 daughters.

Rae Jean had many occupations in the work force.  While in high school, she worked as a housekeeper at a hotel. Later she was a church secretary, a certified nurses’ assistant at various hospitals in California and Colorado, and a home health care provider for dementia patients. When the family moved to Oklahoma in 1980, Rae Jean resumed her career in the medical field in Tulsa and Claremore, Oklahoma.

Rae Jean was very skilled with her hands. She was an excellent seamstress making clothing for herself and her family.  Whether it was crocheting, knitting, or embroidery, her hands were always busy. She spent hours crocheting winter hats for the homeless in Tulsa. Rae Jean liked to garden, can vegetables, and make jam. She liked old movies, watching professional wrestling, and television shows as well as listening to music.  The Statler Brothers, The Gaithers, and Bread were among her favorite groups. Rae Jean was a member of the Skiatook Free Will Baptist Church and attended bible studies later at the nursing home where she lived.

Rae Jean retired in 2002. She married Marvin Luper in 2007. They lived a full life of traveling, fishing, junking, picking up pecans, western dancing, taking long drives along country roads looking for cans to recycle, and visiting historical landmarks and museums. Rae Jean loved spending time with her grandchildren, often having sleepovers. She loved her coffee, and you could always count on there being a fresh pot brewed if you stopped by! Among Rae Jean’s favorite foods were avocados, cottage cheese, and pickled beets.

Rae Jean is proceeded in death by her parents Raymond and Phyllis Swaim, sisters Anita Marie Southerland and Lorraine Arneal Young, and husband Marvin Luper.

Rae Jean is survived by daughters: Nikki Davis and Natasha Avery of Texas; Rochelle Cowan and husband, Paul Cowan, of Glenpool, Oklahoma; Rachel Leonard and husband, Mitch Leonard, of Skiatook, Oklahoma. She is survived by four brothers:  Richard Swaim of  Sun City, California; Tony Swaim of  Woodstock, Georgia; Robbin Swaim of Oregon, Ohio; Stanley Swaim of Irvine, California.  Rae Jean is survived by 16 grandchildren, 17 great grandchildren, several nieces and nephews, and a host of friends.

Rae Jean will be remembered as a woman who loved life and people. She loved Jesus and longed to be with Him and her loved ones who have already gone on before her.  She will be missed as a mama, grandma, aunt, cousin, and friend.