Edith Deel-Nusz

Edith “Grubby” Deel-Nusz, age 75, passed away on December 19, 2021. She was born on November 8, 1946 to Floyd L. and Ruby Edith Savage Deel in Holdenville, Oklahoma, where she lived for her entire life. She is preceded in death by her brother, William Deel who passed away at age 8 in 1953.

She graduated from Holdenville High School in 1965 and gave birth to her only child, Angela Dean Goforth (of Holdenville, Oklahoma), in June 1966. She married the love of her life, James “Jay” Earnest Erwin in 1971 and became a step-mother to his two children, James Jr. (deceased) and Sherry (of North Carolina). Edith and Jay remained married until his death in 1989.

It was once said that Edith’s grandchildren were the sunshine of her life and she was a dedicated servant to children for most of her life. She was a second grade teacher’s aide at the former Parkview Elementary School for over 20 years and would tutor many of her students in the summer to help them move onto third grade as successful readers.

She was grandmother to four granddaughters: Whitney Laws Prasek of Charlotte, South Caroline, Staci Miller of Oklahoma City, Cortney Miller Lasater of Byng, and Kendall Johnson of Holdenville-all of whom affectionately referred to her as “Grubby.” Her habit of carrying around Jolly Rancher candies to pass out and having a closet full of dress up clothes for her granddaughters’ friends meant that many children who weren’t related to her saw her as Grubby as well.

In 1990 she married David Nusz, whom she remained married to until his death in 2011. Edith and David were long time members of the BPOE earlier in their marriage, and then Shiloh Baptist Church later.

Edith was an avid sports fan who collected admission at the Holdenville High School gymnasium for all junior high, high school, and little league basketball games for over a decade, and loved the Oklahoma City Thunder. She also loved the news, the Olympics, and the movie Titanic.

Edith passed away just hours after spending her Saturday exactly how she wanted to: spending Christmas with her daughter, granddaughters, and great-grandchildren.

Edith leaves behind many others who love her including her grandson-in-law RB Lasater of Byng who she was very vocal about her love for. She also leaves behind seven great grandchildren: Resse, Kenna, Sutton, McKindree, Anton, Jaeden, and Liv. Also, being an avid dog lover, she leaves behind many dogs who loved her including Ewok, Paisley, and Maggie.

Services were held at Hudson-Phillips Chapel at 10:00 AM on Wednesday, December 22 with a graveside service following at Holdenville Cemetery.