Ethel May (Peterson) Widowski

Funeral services for Ethel May (Peterson) Widowski, 91, of Skiatook, OK, were held Friday, December 30, 2022, at Johnson Funeral Chapel in Sperry, OK. Phil Johnson officiated, and burial was in New Mount Hope Cemetery in Galesburg, KS. Casket bearers were Bryant Marshall, Dillion Kraft, Jake Terrell, John Langbein, Trey Langbein, Scott Langbein and Jeremy Widowski.

Ethel was born July 21, 1931, at 9:45 pm in Labore Township, Kansas, to Burl Peterson and Ethel Wilson Peterson. She passed away December 26, 2022, in Fairfax, OK.

Ethel was born around 8 weeks premature when her mom and dad were going to town in their wagon and her mother fell out of the wagon.  She weighed around 4 pounds, and they didn’t expect her to make it.  They took her home in her dad’s shoe box and she slept in the shoe box in her dad’s sock drawer to keep her warm.  Her pupils were oblong, and this was attributed to her being premature.  If you ever heard this story told by Ethel, it was hilarious.  In high school, Ethel worked in a nursing home after school and on summer breaks.  She also worked in a concession stand making popcorn.  She graduated Galesburgh High School May 17, 1951.  She then moved to Bartlesville, Oklahoma where she worked as a waitress.  She met Bobby Lee Widowski in that restaurant when he returned home from the Korean War, and they married August 3rd, 1953.  They made their home in the country around Wann, Oklahoma.   They had four living children spaced out over 17 years. Ethel moved to Skiatook around the time of her husband's passing.  She loved her little apartment and became a social butterfly.  She attended every activity provided by the apartment complex.  Her favorite activity was the twice a month music night that she insisted on feeding all the musicians, especially her peanut butter cookies.  She lived in her apartment alone until going to the hospital with her short illness.  

Ethel was a very simple, gentle soul.  She was the perfect example of the Proverbs 31 mother.  She learned to crochet from her mother-in-law Edna Widowski and became an artist at crochet in her own right. She made some of the most beautiful afghans, tablecloths, bedspreads, and everything in between.  She was a member of Post Oak and Antioch Clubs.  She won many ribbons for her crafts and baking at the Washington County free fair. She could sew and often made her kids clothes.   She also truly believed in every person voting and worked for years on the election board.  She babysat many, many children throughout the years while her husband worked various jobs and she helped run the farm.  As true farmers, they had a huge garden every year and she canned all summer long.  They had every animal known to man which they cared for and used to feed their family.  She loved to fish with her cane pole and was more often than not the person that caught the most.  Most of all she loved country, gospel, and bluegrass music.  Ethel was loved by all who knew her. She loved her siblings, friends, children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, nieces, nephews and her children’s friends with her whole heart.   She never met a stranger, and she gave her love freely.  

Ethel is survived by her daughter, Bonnie and Larry Kraft of Sperry; son, William “Willie” Widowski of Wann; daughter, Tena Robinson of Cleveland; daughter, Dana and Scott Langbehn of Dewey; 11 grandchildren, Dorothy, Chris, Stacie, Dillon, Tessa, Lisa, Bryant, Megan, Cora, John, and Trey, plus four that she still considered grandchildren, LaDonna, Allen, Shaunda, and Ryan;  20 great-grandchildren (with three more on the way) Emily, Sean, Trey, Cameron, Andrew, Jarod, Mason, Tiffany, Bryce, Byer, Kennedy, Ava, Clara, Colson, Brooks, Reece, Emme, Laney, Bailey and River; brother, Jimmie and Janice Peterson; sister, Linda and Lee Diediker; and many other relatives and friends. 

Ethel was preceded in death by her parents, husband, and siblings: Charlotte, Arlie, JB, and Billie, a great granddaughter, Amerie Kraft and many nieces and nephews.

Her death leaves a hole in many people’s hearts, and she will be missed more than words can ever express.

Arrangements and services were entrusted to Johnson Funeral Home, Sperry.

Online condolences to the family can be made at johnsonsperry.com.