Buel Dean Anglen

Funeral services for Buel Dean Anglen, of Sperry, OK, will be held Saturday, February 21, 2026, at 2:00 PM, at First Baptist Church in Sperry, OK. Mike Juby will officiate, and burial will be in Rest Haven Cemetery in Sperry, OK.

Buel was born on December 14, 1949, in Tulsa, OK, to Leon George Anglen and Annabelle (Juby) Anglen. He passed away on February 14, 2026, in Sperry, OK, with his family by his side.

Buel, age 76, lived a life defined by perseverance, integrity, and an unwavering commitment to family, community, and service. For all 76 years of his life, he called Sperry home—not simply as a place to live, but as a place to build, serve, and invest in others.

Buel was one of seven children and one of 48 first cousins. When he was only eleven years old, he lost his father, and life changed overnight. His mother, a cook in the local school cafeteria, raised seven children largely on her own. Growing up in a small two-bedroom home without indoor plumbing, Buel learned early that responsibility was something you accepted, not avoided. As a boy, he worked paper routes and took on odd jobs to help support his family. At thirteen, he began his first entrepreneurial venture—breeding and selling rabbits in cages he built himself using carpentry skills learned from his father. That determination and work ethic would define the rest of his life. Buel graduated from Sperry High School in 1969, attended the Carpenters Union Trade School, and completed drafting and blueprint reading courses at Tulsa Junior College. He began his career as a union carpenter before founding Anglen Construction Company, which completed major projects for the Cherokee Nation, including the Cherokee Nation Bingo Outpost, the beginning of what is now the Hard Rock Casino in Catoosa. His company later earned the Outstanding Employer of the Year Award. In 2005, Buel received the Honored Alumnus Award from the Sperry Alumni Association, the highest honor given to a Sperry High School graduate. Despite long workdays and heavy responsibility, Buel never lost sight of what mattered most. He shared 55 years of marriage with his wife, Clara, and was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. His grandchildren were his pride and motivation. Service to others defined his life. He served seven years in the Army National Guard, served on the Sperry Board of Education, and dedicated 15 years to the Cherokee Nation Tribal Council, representing Districts 5, 8, and 13. He attended hundreds of community meetings. He only missed one tribal council meeting due to his mother's funeral and advocated tirelessly for Cherokee citizens. He also served as a Councilman for the Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma and was a founding member of the Victory Cherokee Organization.

Buel believed leadership meant showing up—listening, doing the work even when no one was watching, and leaving things better than he found them. His legacy lives on in the family he loved, the communities he strengthened, and the many lives shaped by his example.

He is survived by his wife, Clara Anglen; daughters, Christy Stephens and husband, Jeff, and Peggy Hardie and husband, Scott; grandchildren, Trenton King, Blake Girdner and Brooklynne Romanat, Clara Stephens, Chloe Stephens, and Cali Stephens; great-grandchild, Kolt Girdner; sisters, Betty Spencer, Melva Eddings, Gloria Wheeler and husband, Wayne, and Marcy Barrett and husband Allan; and many other relatives and friends.

Buel was preceded in death by his parents, Leon and Annabelle Anglen; his brother, George Anglen; and his sister, Edith Middleton.

Arrangements and services are entrusted to Johnson Funeral Home, Sperry.

Online condolences to the family can be made at johnsonsperry.com.

Donations in Buel's memory can be made to the following organizations:

Victory Cherokee Organization - Collinsville

PO Box 298

Collinsville, OK 74021

or

Tulsa Cherokee Community Organization

PO Box 2922

Claremore, OK 74018