Mary Jo Smith Barnett

Mary Jo Smith Barnett passed away at the age of 85 on August 2, 2025, at her home in Shawnee, Oklahoma surrounded by her children and grandchildren. Mary Jo was born on March 19, 1940 at Hastings Hospital in Tahlequah, Oklahoma to Charley and Maggie (Sanders) Smith. A middle child of 13 siblings, she was full-blood Cherokee and raised in the Rocky Mountain community near Stilwell, Oklahoma and attended Echota Baptist Church.

Mary Jo attended school around the Stilwell area before leaving for Haskell, where she finished high school and then completed a drafting program. She then went to California through a vocational program funded by the Indian Relocation Act of 1956. An avid basketball player, Mary Jo found a place to play most nights of the week. It was at one of these venues where she met Bill Barnett, whom she wed on March 21, 1961 at First Indian Baptist Church in Los Angeles, CA. Together they raised five children. Later, the two served at First Indian Baptist Church in South Gate, CA and then First Indian Baptist of Muscogee, Oklahoma.

Later Mary Jo served alongside Bill at the Albuquerque Indian Mission in NM. Always competitive, she continued to enjoy playing sports and helped run Bill’s All-Indian basketball tournaments for many years in CA, NM, and then in her home state of Oklahoma.

Mary Jo worked for the BIA one year. Someone told her IHS needed a draftsman; she went to apply and was hired the same day. Unbeknownst to her office, she took it upon herself to learn computer-aided drafting to prepare for the change to computers and was the only one prepared. She began with mastering AutoCAD and progressed to other programs throughout her career. She worked for IHS as an Engineering draftsperson in the Office of Environmental Health and Engineering for over 30 years plus additional years as a contractor. In the early 1980s, she drew the plans for the Bell Community waterline project in Bell, Oklahoma—where most residents lacked running water. The Cherokee Nation’s Community Development Department, then led by Wilma Mankiller, organized local Cherokee and non-Native residents to voluntarily install a 16-mile pipeline. It provided clean water, preserved the local school, and became a model of self-help, community empowerment and Indigenous self-determination. She was proud to be a small part of this great Cherokee effort.

Mary Jo was always active and enjoyed creating. She did not understand boredom or having nothing to do, she believed one should always have something productive or creative to do. She regularly did logic puzzles to keep her mind sharp and active. While living in Albuquerque, she took learned to be a silversmith. She harnessed her love of art into creating Native jewelry and opened her own small business, which continues today.

Mary Jo was a founding and faithful member of Indian Nations Baptist Church in Seminole, OK, where she taught Sunday School to children, served diligently on the Finance Committee, and sang alto in the choir. Amidst the pandemic she initiated and organized a drive-thru feeding program for children and families in the community. She also utilized her artful aesthetic to maintain floral arrangements and create holiday décor. Additionally, she liked playing games and making events happen at the church, especially for young people. Mary Jo also served on the pastoral search committee that brought Indian Nations its second pastor.

A generous person, Mary Jo was always helping people and thinking of others. She had a beautiful garden with many kinds of plants, flowers and trees, had a quick wit and smile that welcomed everyone that made them feel at home. And, she loved all things OSU and was an avid Thunder fan. At INBC, it felt like the Thunder won the title for her.

Mary Jo earned top prize in the Indian Falls Creek Golden Frybread Contest for her delicious frybread. She organized Indian Taco sales, camp preparations, and everyone asked her questions about anything. She was one of the main cooks and influential organizers of INBC trips to Indian Falls Creek for over 30+ years, serving up legendary cuisine to the blessed campers from INBC, Alabama, and California.

Mary Jo was preceded in death by her husband of almost 60 years, Reverend Bill Barnett, her daughter Karen Barnett-Chotkey, grandson Robert Chotkey, parents, Charley and Maggie Smith, brothers: William, Charlie Jr., Joseph, and Gomer Smith; and sisters: Nellie Hudson, Eleanor Greybull, Evelyn McCosar, Fannie Savage, Sallie Smith, and two infant sisters.

Mary Jo is survived by her son Lincoln Barnett, daughters Stephanie Barnett, Jennifer Barnett, and Angela Barnett (Lance Couture), grandsons Johnathan Chotkey and William ‘Mic’ Chotkey (Meagan), brother James Smith, sister Christine Collins, and many nephews and nieces.

Services will be Thursday, August 7, 2025, at 1:00 P.M. at the Seminole First Baptist Church, with Randy Colbert officiating. Burial will follow at Fairview Cemetery in Shawnee. Services are under the direction of Swearingen Funeral Home in Seminole.