Naomi Mae Radke

Naomi was born on November 09, 1940, and died on January 12, 2025. She… The post Naomi Mae Radke appeared first on MyParisTexas.

Naomi was born on November 09, 1940, and died on January 12, 2025. She was born in Pryor, Oklahoma, to Martin and Frieda Doennig-Radke, the fifth of five children.  She was first and foremost a quiet, unassuming, devoted Christian woman, loving daughter, sister, aunt, friend, and always a perpetual caretaker. She loved music, teaching herself to play piano with few lessons at an early age. She later also learned to play the organ and took a number of piano classes while a student at Incarnate Word University in San Antonio where she got her BSN. Naomi’s voice was most often heard in her piano, which she played almost every day and usually for multiple hours at a time until her illness prevented it from sounding correct to her. She played for her church choir, led her church choir, or both, for over 50 years starting when she was 13 years old, playing an old pump organ at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Adair, Oklahoma, her home church. Most recently she enjoyed being a choir member at First United Methodist Church, Paris, Texas. She attended Bethlehem Lutheran Church Elementary School in Adair, Oklahoma, before graduating Chelsea High School, Chelsea, Oklahoma. Naomi graduated from Hillcrest School of Nursing in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in1962. She graduated from Incarnate Word University in San Antonio, Texas, with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1979 while still working full time. Naomi worked many areas of nursing over a 40-year career, including ob-gyn, orthopedics, internal medicine, home health, and nursing administration. Naomi was a Certified Gastrointestinal Nurse Associate for the last 20 years of her nursing career.

Always notably calm in a crisis, Naomi had superb problem-solving ability, observational skills, and nursing diagnostics. This was recognized early even in nursing school where, as a senior student at Hillcrest, she would be called to go to another unit to help in a crisis. She continued to improve those skills wherever she worked.

Naomi was a United States Air Force nurse, 2nd Lieutenant to Captain, for four years where she served a tour at Clark AFB, Philippines, during the Viet Nam War caring for Viet Nam casualties in Orthopedics. During that time, she rode many a bed holding a serviceman’s bleeding femoral or axillary arteries from the orthopedic trauma unit to the operating room. In San Antonio, she was Head Nurse in a Medical Unit, then the Internal Medicine Nursing Administrator at San Antonio Methodist Hospital.

She worked as a Home Health Nurse while also working at the Baylor Hospital in Dallas training to become a Gastrointestinal Nursing Specialist in1981. She came to Paris in 1982 primarily to help establish the Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Unit at McCuistion Hospital and to sometimes consult for the Gastroenterology Unit at Saint Joseph, as well as setting up the Digestive Disease Center of Red River Valley in Paris, Texas.

Naomi was a caretaker for her patients, her family, and her extended families, including Brooks and Evelyn Williams’ families. One of her greatest joys in life was caring for her aged mother and keeping her in her home for 19 years until her death at 101 years of age. Some of her most cherished memories included caring for the Hawkes twins as infants and her mother of 100 yrs old at the same time. Naomi was in her own words “self-sufficient, quiet by nature, and not very talkative to strangers—probably somewhat bossy (not) and used to giving direction!” Most importantly, however, many did not know the passion with which she loved her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, her family biological and extended, Bible study, nursing in many forms, gardening in- and outdoors, reading, bird watching, music—especially piano and harp, art, gourmet cooking, stained glass work, needlework, archeology, rock hounding, travel, and adventure. Her primary philosophy was, “God has a reason for everything, if we can just let go and let Him handle it and trust Him rather than ourselves to be the Power.” We believe she is now playing the piano and singing in the heavenly choir. She will be greatly missed by her family and friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents Martin and Frieda Doennig-Radke, brother Arthur ‘Art’ Radke, sisters Mildred Schnackenberg, Viola Schulze, and Lorna Goedecke, brothers in law Olaf Schnackenberg, Milton C. Schulze Sr. DVM, and Martin Radke, sister in law Joanne Brown-Radke, nephews Curtis Radke, God-son Stephen Schulze, John Schulze, and niece Suzanne Radke.

Survived by: Lifelong friend Dr. Josie R. Williams.

“My Special Kids”: Dee, Darrell, Sam, Nichole, and Michayla Hawkes.

Nieces and Nephews : Marcia Schnackenberg-Mackey (Paul), Karen Schnackenberg-Wagner (Brad), Phyllis Schnackenberg-Miller, Milton Schulze Jr. (Cissy), Dennis Schulze (Cheryl), Lera Schulze-Feathertone, Lisa Lessing, Darrell Goedecke (Teri),Carole Goedecke-Petrucci (Vince),  Patricia Godecke-Loraditch (Patrick), and all their families, as well as all the Brooks and Evelyn Williams clans who have claimed her as their own since 1961.

The family would like to thank Bill and Harlene Mercy, Dr. Tom Trout, Dr. Dick Bercher, Platinum Hospice, Embark Care, Heritage Nursing Home, and their staffs. Special thanks and love to Lisa Martin RN, Leandra Thomas, and Lynn Reynolds for all your loving care in the final years. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Lutheran Hour, FUMC Choir Fund, or charity of your choice.

Because Naomi was such a colorful and elegant person who delighted in beauty of every kind, we ask that we celebrate her spirit by wearing color to her service.

Funeral services will be conducted at 12:30 PM Saturday, January 18, 2025 in Paris First United Methodist Church. Burial will follow in the Camp Shed Cemetery in Delta Co., TX. Family will receive friends from 6:00 PM till 7:00 PM Friday at the Fry-Gibbs Funeral Home.

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