Elmer Loy Pense

Elmer Loy Pense was born on Monday, January 6, 1941 in Cedar Vale, Kansas, the son of Elmer and Orene (Wallain) Pense. He passed from this life into heaven on Sunday, December 10, 2023 at his home in Broken Arrow. He was 82 years, 11 months and 4 days of age. Elmer’s love of baseball began as a young boy in the early 1950s. Braden Winch sponsored the local Little League Team for many years, helping boys develop a fun skill, but more importantly, providing a strong grounding for life-long friendships. He also started honing in on basketball, the sport for which he was most well- known, and for which he received the most awards. A local December 4, 1958 newspaper article shared sketches of the members of the Broken Arrow Tigers Basketball team. Elmer had been given the nickname of “Goose” somewhere along the way. “At the start of basketball season of his senior year, seventeen-year-old “Goose” was described as: A three-year letterman in basketball, and has lettered for BA in both baseball and track. In basketball, Elmer is the play-maker of the team; the floor general so to speak. His, is the responsibility of steering the action to bring defeat to the opponent. His ability and speed, coupled with a good shooting eye and coolness under fire, make him a real spark-plug for the team. Francis Wheeler is banking pretty heavily on “Goose” to bring the Tigers through the basketball season successfully. Although the shortest member of the “A” squad of starters, Pense uses his 5 foot 10 inches to great advantage and his agility and ball handling, more than compensates for the few inches he gives to the opposing players.” “Academically, Pense is majoring in business courses offered by the BA High School. An “A” student, he is a member of both the National and State Honor Society. A great sports enthusiast, as well as a good scholar, Elmer is the type of boy that is a credit to his school. Although he did not play football this year, Goose likes all kinds of sports. He enjoys hunting, fishing, swimming and surf-boarding”. (NEVER IN HIS LIFE……HE ADDED THAT JUST FOR FUN HE TOLD ME! Elmer was a 1959 graduate of Broken Arrow high school, and dearly loved his classmates and appreciated those dedicated teachers who gave him the keys to success. He earned scholarships for academics and sports to attend Northern Oklahoma Junior College in Tonkawa, Oklahoma, where he instantly became the star of their basketball program. At NOC, “Pense, despite his handicap of being one of the shortest men on campus at 5”9”, often had to guard players a half foot taller than himself. He averaged 14 points a game while qualifying as Northern’s playmaker. He scored 50 points in two games at the end of the season of 1960-61. In baseball, he batted over .400 all year while handling the shortstop position. His coach, Jerry Cross, said he was the best player in the conference.” “The Broken Arrow lad also stars in the classroom. He logged a phenomenal 3.91 average while carrying 17 hours the first semester as a freshman, to top all sophomore boys who were carrying at least 12 hours. The school’s first Maverick Award was presented to Elmer in 1961 for the his “athletic ability coupled with an outstanding display of sportsmanship, while representing Northern in Junior College competition.” Following Junior College, Elmer received a scholarship to Kansas University in Lawrence, Kansas where he was promised they would not red-shirt him. BUT THEY DID RED-SHIRT HIM! So come Christmas break, Elmer packed up his duds and headed home! He never looked back. He went to work full time for Broken Arrow Public Schools. Elmer was among the first group to be inducted into the Broken Arrow High School Athletic Hall of Fame in October 1995. His photo can be viewed in the High School Basketball sports building. Elmer devoted 31 plus years to the Broken Arrow Public School System, retiring on December 31, 1994, from the position of Assistant Superintendent for Business and Support Services. Elmer was an avid sports fan who enjoyed antiquing; traveling, especially the trips to Branson; watching old Westerns and any sport on TV, except hockey or soccer. The family requests memorials to, College of the Ozarks, www.cofo.edu, or P. O. Box 17, Point Lookout, MO 65726. COFO is a very special school according to Elmer & Marcella. It provides a tremendous opportunity for students willing to WORK their way through four years of college, and graduate debt free, thus also being called “Hard Work U.” Do yourself a favor and read up on the school, which now offers elementary through college degrees. College of the Ozarks was Incorporated in 1906 as The School of the Ozarks, to serve financially needy youth primarily from the Ozarks region. Elmer was a member of The Assembly of God Church, Broken Arrow, and was a supporter of the College of the Ozarks. He is survived by: His wife,Marcella Pense, of the home Nieces,Valerie Pense Mullins and husband Bobby Mullins of Broken Arrow, OK Jana Kay Smith Day and husband Kenny Day, of Broken Arrow, OK Nephews,Jeffrey Smith, of Tulsa, OK Jerrod Smith, of Broken Arrow, OK Mat Weeks, of Fair Grove, MO Great Nieces,Katlyn Weeks, of Utah Brikel Weeks, of Salt Lake City, Utah Chelsea Weeks, of Claremore, OK Bailey Weeks and husband David Legere, of Glendale, AZ Emily Day, of Shawnee/Broken Arrow, OK Jessie Mullins, of Tulsa, OK Taylor Mullins, of Coweta, OK Bailey Mullins, of Tulsa, OK Great Nephews:Jackson Weeks and wife Arika, of Phoenix, AZ Caleb Weeks, of San Diego, CA Levi Weeks and wife Rachel, of Surprise, AZ Tyler Day of Broken Arrow, OK Kyler Smith, of Broken Arrow, OK Brody Weeks and wife Mari, of Price, UT Brock Weeks, of Nephi, UT Aunt,Katie Pense, Broken Arrow, OK Elmer was preceded in death by his parents, Elmer and Orene; brother, Lawrence; Father and Mother-in-laws Otis & Ruby Johnston, Niece, Tawna Weeks.

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Elmer Loy Pense

January 6, 1941 - December 10, 2023