Ruth Ellen (Crossley) Harder

Ruth Ellen (Crossley) Harder, 62, of Choctaw, Oklahoma passed away Monday, March 15, 2021 at her home, following a six month battle with pancreatic cancer.

She was born February 11, 1959 to Basil and Eleanor (Tyner) Crossley in Wichita, Kansas.  She is a member of the Absentee Shawnee Tribe, granddaughter of Sally Hood Tyner and Davis Tyner.

Ruth’s first home was on the farm near Rose Hill, Kansas, moving with her family to Norman, Oklahoma in 1962 and then to the Tecumseh area in 1973.

She graduated with the class of 1976 from Bethel High School.  Ruth graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Computer Science and later earned her Master of Science from Seattle University.

She met her future husband, T. Mark Harder while they both worked for Boeing in Wichita, Kansas.  They moved to Seattle in 1989 and were married on August 28, 1991 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  Ruth and Mark made their home in Seattle until 2000 then moved to Oklahoma and later settled in Choctaw, OK in 2006.

During her career Ruth was a Software Design Manager at Boeing and a Program Manager for the Federal Aviation Administration and her work took her to many international destinations.  She later pursued her passion for reading and worked for the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Library System.

Ruth was well-organized and a superb planner, maintaining a multi-page word file of notes and “to dos” for many years.  She was a avid reader, enjoyed her cats and had a passion for cooking.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Basil and Eleanor Crossley; and sister-in-law, Tessie Crossley.

Survivors include her husband, T. Mark Harder of the home; 1 sister, Rachel Crossley of Reno, NV; 3 brothers and 1 sister-in-law, Burton Crossley of Elmo, TX, Joseph Crossley of Shawnee, OK and Orin and Camille Crossley of Oklahoma City, OK; and many nieces, nephews and other extended family and friends.               

The family has designated the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, www.pancan.org, phone number 1-877-435-8650, as appropriate for memorials.

Visitation will be 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Friday, March 19, 2021.  Service will be 11:00 a.m., Saturday, March 20, 2021 at Cooper Funeral Home Chapel with Charissa (Crossley) Jochems officiating. Burial will follow at Tecumseh Cemetery under the direction of Cooper Funeral Home of Tecumseh.  Please join the celebration of Ruth’s life through Cooper Funeral Home’s Facebook page for live streaming of the service.