Mary Frances Michaelis

Mary Frances McCasland Maurer Michaelis was born January 28, 1930, in Duncan, Oklahoma, and peacefully passed away at the age of 96 on June 13, 2026. She was born in Duncan to Thomas Howard and Vivian Fullwood McCasland, and very much enjoyed her hometown and the many friendships and wonderful experiences she was blessed to have there. She attended Emerson Elementary and graduated from Duncan High School in 1948. She was a straight A student, yearbook editor, and was named Outstanding Senior Girl. She attended Stephens College in Missouri, and then the University of Oklahoma, graduating with a BA in Sociology in 1952. Later in life she earned her MBA from Oklahoma City University in 1991.

Mary Frances was intelligent, energetic, and curious, and she was a lifelong learner, always engaging in experiences to maximize her potential as a person, such as learning French, attending cooking classes and later compiling her own cookbook, reading for pleasure and for knowledge, educating herself for the business world, becoming a Master Gardener through Oklahoma State University, studying watercolor painting in her 80s, and, in her 90s, joining an Empowerment Ensemble in which she made close friendships and was able to share her lifetime of knowledge with a group of equally motivated younger women. She enjoyed playing bridge, playing with her same group of dear friends for over 70 years. She played golf, and when she could no longer play, transitioned to a game of just putting. She oversaw the design, construction, and decorating of three large homes in her lifetime. She enjoyed attending any arts programming offered in her area, such as music theater and symphony.

Mary Frances believed in serving and “giving back” to her community. She assisted many organizations in her lifetime, through volunteerism, board service, and financial support, often being among the group of founders. She greatly benefited and impacted organizations throughout the state of Oklahoma through her 45 years of service as a trustee of the McCasland Foundation. In her lifetime she served on the boards of the Simmons Center Foundation, Friends of Duncan Regional Hospital, Duncan Public Library, Duncan Public Schools Foundation, Stephens County Historical Society and Museum, Stephens County O.U. Alumni Association, Stephens County Genealogical Society, Duncan Girl Scouts, United Way, Crime Stoppers, and Community Concert Association. In addition, Mary supported and served on many Oklahoma statewide boards including Oklahoma City Symphony, Kirkpatrick Center, Easter Seals Society, Oklahoma Heritage Association, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence, and numerous boards and committees at the University of Oklahoma. Regionally she served as director of Music Theater Wichita and Conference of Southwest Foundations. She was named Outstanding Young Woman of America in 1965, A.A.U.W. Woman of Achievement in 1990, Outstanding Member of her MBA class in 1991, Duncan Chamber of Commerce Woman of the Year in 1991, Duncan Public Schools Hall of Fame in 1998, and most recently was honored to be crowned the Stephens County Historical Museum Founders Day Queen in 2025. Her business career included serving as a director for American National Bank and Investors Trust Company.

She was a very kind, inclusive, and positive person and loved other people. She had a way of making people feel welcome and valued when speaking to her. She greatly enjoyed being a 75-year member of P.E.O. International and Delta Delta Delta, and a longtime member of G.F.W.C. Philomathic Club, and treasured the friends she made in these organizations. She was a member of and raised her family in the First Baptist Church of Duncan, serving in the church library. She joined her daughters as a member of the First United Methodist Church of Duncan in 2023. The many people she met and befriended in her lifelong endeavors formed an extensive network of cherished relationships, and she worked to maintain as many of those connections as she could. Mary was an excellent hostess and travel companion, a fun friend, and a good citizen. She was a stylish dresser and was known for wearing pretty neck scarves.

Despite all these activities, her main focus was her family. In 1954 she married Jack A. Maurer, a young man from Wichita, Kansas, who was working in Duncan for Schlumberger. He later joined the family business, Mack Oil Co., and they made their home in Duncan, raising three daughters there. She excelled at being a loving wife and mother. As a mother she worked to ensure her children’s success in life in every way possible by sharing her faith in God and her love of reading, travel, the outdoors, sports, and the arts; by instilling the importance of education; and by being affectionate and supportive. After Jack’s early passing in 1986, she continued to learn and grow through her business education and travels to Europe, Australia, and Asia. In 1992 she met, married, and experienced the joys of a second great love with W. A. Michaelis, Jr., also of Wichita, Kansas. Mary and “Mick” enjoyed 29 years of fun together, living in Wichita, Duncan, and Rancho Mirage, California. 

Mary Frances is survived by her daughters and their husbands:  Marilyn Maurer Hugon, Diane Garis Davenport and Bryan “Lynn” Davenport, and Barbara Maurer Braught and John R. “Rick” Braught.

She greatly loved and is survived by her grandchildren:  Mary Garis and husband Scott Nenni, Justin Hugon and wife Rachael, Caroline Garis Brown and husband Blake, Jackson Braught and wife Madison, William Hugon and fiancée Michelle Dunn, and Grant Braught, and step grandchildren Jeff Davenport and wife Dawn, Bryan Davenport and wife Jamee, and Baleigh Davenport Neville and husband Robert. She also took much joy in her many great-grandchildren who called her Mamma Mary.

She is also survived by her brother T. H. McCasland, Jr. and wife Phyllis, nephews T. H. McCasland, III and wife Monica, Mark McCasland and wife Kandi, and their families, all of whom meant so much to her. Also surviving are her cousin Dr. Harry Fullwood and his wife, Virginia, and their family; her stepson Mike Michaelis and his wife, Dee; her stepdaughter Sue Michaelis; and their children, Matthew, Amy, and Laura, and their families, whom she greatly cared for.

Mary Frances was preceded in death by her husbands, her parents, and her sons-in-law, John C. Hugon and James P. Garis, whom she treated as cherished sons.

Mary’s life was marked with beauty, grace, love, generosity, humility, and gratitude. She touched many lives and will be greatly missed by all who knew her.

A celebration of Mary Frances’ life will be held for all on Thursday, June 18, 2026, at First United Methodist Church of Duncan at 2:00 p.m., followed by a reception. In keeping with her practice of honoring others through memorial donations, the family suggests that donations be made in her memory, in lieu of flowers, to Chisholm Trail Heritage Center, Duncan Regional Hospital Health Foundation, Stephens County Historical Museum, the Simmons Center Foundation, or other favorite charity. 

A livestream of Mary Frances' service is available at www.youtube.com/@DuncanFUMC 

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