Dala Ruth Whinery was born July 26, 1934 in Hobart, Oklahoma to Bessie (Elam) and Henry Hamer Wyatt. She passed away October 21, 2015 at Elk City, Oklahoma at the age of 81 years, 2 months and 25 days. Dala grew up on her parents farm East of Sentinel, Oklahoma where she attended school graduating in May of 1952. Dala was married to Alvin Lavern (A.L.) Whinery at Sentinel, Oklahoma on July 31, 1952. After their marriage they farmed in the Retrop community until a crop failure when they moved to Oklahoma City where A.L. found work with Farmers Union. In 1953, they moved to Dallas, Texas where Dala worked nights as a long distance operator for Southwestern Bell to put her husband through mortuary school. After his graduation in 1955, they returned to the Tulsa area where Dala found work with Pan American Research as a PBX operator. Dala and A.L. spent a couple of years in Chandler, Oklahoma before moving back to western Oklahoma in 1961 where they purchased the Scroggins Funeral Home in Sayre, Oklahoma. Working alongside her husband in the funeral business, Dala obtained her funeral director’s license and became the first female licensed funeral director in western Oklahoma. During the next 27 years they owned and operated funeral homes in Sayre, Sentinel, Mangum, Reydon and Cheyenne. Along with operating the funeral homes, they, with their sons owned Whinery Real Estate in Sayre, managing 45 rental homes and apartments. They owned 90 vacant lots and built modular homes during the oil boom of the late 1970's. It was during this time when they donated the land where the Sayre Public Library is currently located. In 1981, they formed Great Plains Leasing Company with their son, Brad and Eddie Beard and purchased the Thrifty Rent-A-Car franchise in Lawton and Duncan with the ones in Oklahoma City, Norman and Edmond being added a year later. They later added Whinery's Off Airport Parking in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma which grew to become the largest off airport valet parking facility in the world and even gained front page recognition by the Wall Street Journal. In August of 1988, they sold the funeral homes to their youngest son, Brad and the parking facility to the oldest, Don in 1995. Dala and A.L., along with their son Don, began the Flying W Guest Ranch in 1999 north of Sayre and at its peak operated over 6000 acres of farming and ranching operations along with bringing the largest privately funded land run reenactment in the state of Oklahoma. The three day festival brought western Oklahoma to the forefront of Oklahoma's Centennial Celebration and through tours and art work commissioned by Dala and A.L., they were able to give visitors an accurate glimpse of early Oklahoma living. Although Dala, along with her husband, worked many years they always made giving back to their community a priority. Dala served as president of the P.T.A, B.P&W, As You Like It, Sorosis Club, Home Demonstration Club and as a Den Mother for Cub Scouts and was chosen in 1965 as one of the Outstanding Women of America and inducted into the Western Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 2011. She was also instrumental in forming the Little Wranglers Riding Club in the 1960's. Dala, throughout all of her accomplishments in her life, made the Lord her priority and was a shining example to those that knew her. She was preceded in death by her parents, Hamer and Bessie Wyatt; two sisters, Blanche Rogers and Opal Hopkins and twobrothers, Perry Wyatt and Ray Wyatt. She is survived by her husband of 63 years, A.L., of the home; two sons, R. Don Whinery and wife, Deborah, Sayre, Oklahoma, and R. Bradley Whinery, Sr. and wife, Glenda, Elk City, Oklahoma; five grandchildren, Donna Jo Whinery-Frenczy and husband, John, Eureka, Missoure, Dr. Bradley Whinery, Jr. And wife, Kristi, Elk City, Oklahoma, Chris Whinery and wife, Kaylynn, Elk City, Oklahoma, Paul Wyatt Whinery and wife, Cassie, Sayre, Oklahoma, and Christina Whinery, Phoenix, Arizona; four great-grandchildren, Kyron, Aiden, Keaton and Toby Whinery; a dear and special friend, Dora Jean Woods, Sayre, Oklahoma; and a host of other relatives and friends. The family requests that Memorial Donations be made to the Tanzania Mission Fund in care of the Second and Adams Church of Christ at 216 North Adams, Elk City, Oklahoma, 73644. Funeral services were held Saturday, October 24, 2015 at the Second and Adams Church of Christ in Elk City. Burial followed at Sayre-Doxey Cemetery under the direction of Rose Chapel Funeral Service of Sayre. Condolences can be made online at www.whineryfs.com.