Jeannie Sue (Ralls) Rooks

It is with deep sadness we announce the passing of Jeannie Sue (Ralls) Rooks. She was born February 13, 1957, in Tulsa, OK to Joseph Edgar Ralls and Pearl Marie (Gibson) Ralls. She passed away September 10, 2026, in Locust Grove, OK at the age of 69.

Today, we gather to celebrate the life of our mom, our Nana. There are some people who come into this world and leave it a little brighter simply because they were here. Mom was one of those people. She was loving. She was caring. She was forgiving. And she had a heart big enough to keep loving people even when they didn’t always deserve it. She was the kind of person who would give you another chance, and another, because that’s just who she was. Mom was also the strongest person we have ever known. From the very beginning, she was a fighter. She was born with a hole in her heart, and because of that, her family called her their miracle baby. And a miracle she truly was. She didn’t let the challenges she faced define her. Instead, she built a life filled with love, family, laughter, and memories.

She became a mother to three beautiful children. She shared her life with the love of her life, her husband, Jerry Lee Rooks. Together, they built a family that became her greatest treasure. Jeannie was also a proud Nana to nine grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren. Her grandchildren brought so much love and joy into her life, and being their Nana was something she treasured deeply. If you knew Jeannie, you knew she had her own special way of enjoying life. She loved picking up cans, going to yard sales, and searching for those little treasures that other people might overlook. She loved bingo. She loved going to the casino, especially playing Ruby Red. And there was hardly any convenience store she could pass without getting a scratch-off ticket. Those simple things were part of what made her happy—and those are the memories we will hold onto. But more than anything she collected, more than any game she played, and more than any scratch-off she bought, Mom collected people and memories. She gave love freely. She forgave easily. And she kept going, even when life gave her every reason not to. That’s what her family will remember most about her. They will remember her strength. They will remember her heart. They will remember the way she loved her family. And they will remember that little miracle baby who grew into a woman who touched so many lives.

Mom, you fought your whole life. You survived what you weren’t supposed to survive. You loved when it wasn’t always easy. You forgave when you had every right not to. You gave us memories that we will carry for the rest of our lives. We wish we could have had more time. There will be days when I reach for the phone because I want to call you. There will be moments when I see something at a yard sale, walk into a convenience store, or see a scratch-off ticket and think, Mom would have loved this. And in those moments, we hope we remember not just that you’re gone, but that you were here. You were our mom. You were our Nana. You were a wife, a daughter, a sister, a friend, and the heart of our family. And no matter how many years pass, you will always be a part of us.

Mom, thank you for loving us. Thank you for forgiving us. Thank you for fighting. Thank you for being our miracle. And thank you for giving us a lifetime of memories that we will carry in our hearts forever. Until we meet again, Mom. I love you. I always will.

She is survived by her children, Jerry Patrick Rooks, and Shirley Amanda Rooks-Donelson; grandchildren, Hayley Rooks, Jayce Rooks, Rustin Stewart, Addy Donelson, Faith Aston, Austin Kinter, Derek Roberts, Gunner Rooks, and Malik Rooks; sister, Rose Morris; and many other relatives and friends.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Jerry Rooks; son, Adam J. Rooks; parents, Joseph and Pearl Ralls; sisters, Joyce Wiggins, Betty Jewel, Shirley Bristol, and Sarah Bruner; and brothers, Carl Ralls, Sammy Ralls, Donald Ralls, and David Ralls.

Family and friends gathered to honor and celebrate Jeannie’s life on Friday, September 18, 2026, at Johnson Funeral Chapel in Sperry, OK, with Brother Wesley Witcher officiating. Honorary casket bearers were Jerry Patrick Rooks. Jayce Adam Rooks, Ross Lee Donelson, Darrell Bristol, Tyler Hokit, and Roger Scullawl.

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