Ada Lea Karnes Fitz (November 19, 1924 December 3, 2022) Ada Lea (Humphreys) Karnes Fitz was born November 19, 1924, on a farm near Nash, Oklahoma to Thomas and Lydia (Potts) Humphreys and died peacefully at home with her son by her side on December 3, 2022. Although her tombstone will read that she passed away on December 3rd, 2022, those who knew her well, knew that a big part of her spirit actually died in February 1986 when two police officers appeared at her door to inform her that her daughter had been murdered. Ada Lea was raised on a farm west of Pond Creek, Oklahoma and attended a one-room schoolhouse named Grand Valley #104 through the 8th grade. The school, complete with its outhouses, was located off Highway 81 in Grant County, Oklahoma. Their farm had no running water or electricity. To heat the kids beds in the wintertime, their dad would put a hot brick in their beds and cover them with multiple blankets. After successfully graduating from the 8th grade, she attended Pond Creek High School. She was somewhat embarrassed to admit that she was her class Valedictorian at Pond Creek, as she felt that there were several classmates smarter than she, but she put in extra effort studying next to a kerosine lamp in order to compensate for her perceived lack of innate intelligence. After three years of study, she earned her bachelors degree from Phillips University in Enid, Oklahoma. She had her first teaching job in Fairview, Oklahoma. She said that in a way, that job was a bit of a curse for a first-time teacher. Only later did she realize that as a group, few schools had such a high percentage of very sharp students as the ones she taught in Fairview. She later taught in Anthony, Kansas and Woodward and Putnam City Schools. She taught History and Social Studies. During the summertime, she worked on her masters degree at Oklahoma A&M where she said room, board, and tuition for a summer school session was $14.50. Once her two children were born, she became a fulltime homemaker. She developed a life-long love of family history. A stickler for details, Ada Lea and her cousin Celestia Williams, combed through archives in county courthouses from Oklahoma to West Virginia, prowled through old cemeteries, clearing brush, and rubbing old tombstones to secure the information they were seeking. Ada Lea was preceded in death by her parents; her first husband, Earl Karnes; her second husband, Don Fitz; her daughter, Karen; her sister, Phyllis Schultz; and her brothers, Bill and Richard Humphreys. She is survived by her son, Greg Karnes; stepdaughter, Donna Owen and her children, Cori Henderson, and Ty, Kit and Aowl Owen; along with nephews, Gary and Terry Humphreys, Chris and Howard Purcell, and Howard "Buck" Karnes; nieces, Jill Humphreys, Jona Prince, LeAnne Cooley, and Kerri Radcliff. Special consideration must be given to Ada Leas friend, Susan Enloe. Susan came into Ada Leas life twenty-five years ago. In the beginning, she was just helping with household chores but soon began volunteering for everything imaginable. As time passed, Ada Lea began to think of her as her second daughter. Everyone should have a Susan Enloe in their life. Special consideration should also be given to niece, Jona Prince. Later in life, few things gave her as much joy as an opportunity to visit with Jona. The knowledge that Jona was safe and happy brought great comfort to her. Lastly, special recognition should go to Dr. Surya Artham and Dr. Santosh Prabhu. Those two doctors are single-handedly responsible for adding three quality years to Ada Leas life. When other cardiologists seemingly lacked the skill and/or courage to perform the necessary life-saving procedures, those two men were willing to step up to the plate and save her life. In addition, Dr. Sam Dahr helped her to retain her vision for as long as possible. Though it is certainly possible, few sons could have loved their mother any more than did Ada Leas. She devoted her life to her children. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Pond Creek Cemetery Association (P.O. Box 31, Pond Creek, OK 73766) or to NewView Oklahoma, Inc. . Viewing Mercer-Adams Funeral Service Sunday, December 11, 2022 11:00 AM - 8:00 PM 3925 North Asbury Avenue Bethany, Oklahoma 73008 Graveside Service Pond Creek Cemetery Monday, December 12, 2022 1:00 PM Pond Creek, Oklahoma