Duane Kenneth Mueller

Mr. Duane Kenneth Mueller Mr. Duane Kenneth Mueller, 86, of Bartlesville, died at 6:30 P.M. on Tuesday, March 31, 2015 at the Jane Phillips Medical Center. Duane Kenneth Mueller was born to William and Anna Mueller on November 28, 1928, in Stafford, Kansas. He was the eighth of twelve children and grew up on a large wheat farm in Hamilton County, KS helping his brothers and sisters on the farm. The Great Depression and The Dust Bowl were a part of his childhood and he shared memories about those difficult years with his children. He grew up and became a gifted football player, gaining the nickname of “Stud” for his strong style of play. He was recruited and talked to about attending KU on a football scholarship but turned them down in order to “attend Bible college to find a wife.” He was successful in that endeavor, meeting Cara Lee Cunningham at Colorado Springs Bible College and they married on May 28, 1952, and honeymooned in many of the National Parks in the Western states. Duane completed a Bachelor’s Degree in theology at the Bible College along with a BA from Friend’s University in Wichita, and eventually added a Master of Arts from Colorado College. The Bible College moved to Bartlesville, OK in 1959, leaving behind the clear cool air of the Rocky Mountains for the humid hot air of Oklahoma, which Cara Lee put up with for the rest of her life. Duane was a teacher, principal of the HS Academy and the business manager of what became Oklahoma Wesleyan University, though it was known as Central Pilgrim College at the time of the move. He began to build homes in his ‘spare time’ and eventually opened a realty office during the 1960’s. Over the years he built hundreds of homes, several apartment buildings, schools, churches and office buildings in the Bartlesville and Tulsa area. He constructed the Dining Common’s on the OWU campus, the initial and present First Wesleyan Church Sanctuary buildings, the original Wesleyan Christian School, an addition at Wayside School and many other commercial structures all around Bartlesville. He was very successful in both building and developing properties and had a number of partners and friends in this endeavor, including his brother and partner Don Mueller, as well as Terrell Taylor and Gerald Coast. He continued building into his 80’s and always wanted to have “one last deal” going even when it became beyond his physical capabilities to do so. He was an incredibly hard worker, loved spending many hours driving his construction tractor daily, and taught hundreds of men and women the value of hard work over the many years he was in the building and real estate business. He was president of the Bartlesville Home Builders on two separate occasions and was well respected by his peers for his business dealings and ethics. Both Cara Lee and he thought that he might be able to be more successful financially in doing construction and real estate work, which would enable him to contribute to the church and growth of God’s kingdom to a higher degree. He was able to make many significant financial donations to church and missions work over the years. Cara Lee and he also went on a number of mission trips over these years, including many trips to Haiti to do construction and missions work as well as to Sierra Leone, West Africa and to numerous local missions building trips in the United States as well. He served on the Board of Trustee’s for OWU for many years, achieving Trustee Emeritus status by the end of his many terms on that board. He was extremely active in the local First Wesleyan Church, serving on the Church Board, teaching Sunday school classes along with Cara Lee, and mentoring and hosting young families and college students at countless meals and social functions over the years. In time they had four children: Melody, David, Kevan and Carole. Shawn was adopted in 1977 and completed the family of five children. Numerous grandchildren and eventually great-grandchildren added the family over the years as the circle expanded. They also were foster parents to nearly forty foster children over the years and made a great difference in the lives of many of the children they took into their home. Family dinners were a special time on Sunday’s and holidays, and we children were there to hear him compliment “Mama’s cooking” as Cara Lee was an amazing cook and made wonderful breads, pies and food items which were all too quickly consumed. They invited many people into their home for meals and fellowship, and it was common to have people from all walks of life at the table for a meal and time for visitation, laughter and good food. Upon Cara Lee’s sudden death on October 7, 2008, Duane was on his own and didn’t enjoy being in the big house by himself in the least. He struck up a friendship with Peggy Cauthen and they were married from 2010-2012 and enjoyed companionship together as well as a number of car trips together to see family members. She remained close friends with him and the family and spent many hours with him during this final hospital stay, providing comfort and assistance to both Duane and his children, for which we are thankful. Duane will be remembered fondly by so many for his gentle caring nature and the ability to get a lot more out of people than they expected they could do. He was a true “servant leader” to all who worked with him and watched him live his life. He wouldn’t ask a person to do anything he wasn’t willing to do as well. As one of his friends said, “He wasn’t yelling around telling you how to dig that ditch, he was down in it with you working along by your side.” He’ll also be fondly remembered for the marathon Rook games that he loved to participate in at any and every opportunity. In recent years he loved to spend an afternoon playing Rook with John Snook, Ron Hay and Carl Brecheisen. They would play for hours and always celebrated with one or more root beer floats whether they won or lost. He was a strong, often reckless bidder, but he won far more hands than he lost and loved the competition, conversation and fun involved no matter who was playing. Many of you reading this will remember those Rook games and smile as you recall those fun moments. He is survived by four of his brothers; Chet, Bil, Don and Calvin; and by one sister, Violet Jones. His five children also live, Melody Hughes, Dave Mueller, Kevan Mueller and Carole McIntire all of Bartlesville, and Shawn Mueller of Mansfield, Texas. He also has sixteen grandchildren and eleven great grandchildren living at this time to help carry on his legacy of faith in God and his tradition of hard work at whatever task lies at hand. Duane had a deep love of God’s Word. He meditated on it daily and memorized passages of scripture and encouraged others to do so as well. He loved to hear his grandchildren quote scriptures they had committed to memory at every opportunity. He was a powerful example to others of how to show love without conditions. He showed us without compromise by word and deed how to be generous, gracious and to “love the Lord your God with all of your heart.” And finally and repeatedly, from an early age, he taught all of his children and their children never to Criticize, Condemn or Complain! In lieu of flowers the family requests memorial donations to Oklahoma Wesleyan University, 2201 S.E. Silver Lake Road, Bartlesville, Oklahoma, 74006 or First Wesleyan Church, 1776 S.E. Silver Lake road, Bartlesville, Oklahoma, 74006 Funeral services for Mr. Mueller will be held at 10 A.M. on Saturday, April 4, 2015 at the First Wesleyan Church with Pastor Joe Colaw officiating. Interment will be in the Memorial Park Cemetery directed by the Stumpff Funeral Home & Crematory. Casket escorts will include Tim Hughes, Mike Hughes, Chris Mueller, Jon Mueller, Andy Mueller, Tucker McIntire, Michael Mueller and Zane Mueller. The Mueller family will receive guests for visitation at the Stumpff Funeral Home on Friday evening from 6 P.M. until 8 P.M. PDF Printable Version

Duane Kenneth Mueller

November 28, 1928 - March 31, 2015