Judge Cryer

Rebecca Alice Cryer

October 9, 1946 – September 29, 2020

Her Honor. Judge Cryer. Rebecca. Wife. Mom. Grandma. Aunt Becky…

District Court Judge Rebecca Cryer answered to many names throughout her remarkable life. But to those who knew her, one name summed up Rebecca Cryer for everyone she met.

Friend.

Judge Cryer loved working with her tribal families and she protected her “kids” fiercely. She touched so many lives in her positive, compassionate, caring way. Although we will all miss her deeply, we take solace in knowing that Judge Cryer lived a life of servitude that changed the lives of everyone she touched.

She was a warm and friendly person whom could easily strike up a conversation with a perfect stranger on a whim with comfort and ease.  She was a very compassionate person in every aspect of her life.  She loved animals and had a weakness to assist the strays at all times. She was adventurous and willing to travel and explore spontaneously.  She loved to read and to share her knowledge with those willing to learn. She was a strong survivor, as an employee in the Journal Records Building, she suffered serious injuries during the Alfred P. Murrah bombing.  Her name is inscribed on the Survivor Wall.  And, she was also a Friend of Bill W.; she treasured the friendships she made on that journey, and they were some of the deepest and truest of her life.

A Life Well Lived. A Career Well Served.

Judge Rebecca Cryer graduated from the University of Oklahoma, with distinction, in 1973. In 1977, Rebecca received her Juris Doctorate from the University of Oklahoma School of Law.  After graduating from law school, Rebecca served as the Tribal Administrator for the Potawatomi Nation.

In 1978, she became a staff attorney for Legal Services of Western Oklahoma where she provided a full range of legal services in state and federal court to indigent people and to Indian Tribes.  While working for Legal Services, Rebecca began serving as a magistrate for the Court of Indian Offenses at the Shawnee Agency in Oklahoma.

She continued to serve the C.F.R. Court since that date and served as an appellate magistrate for the Southern Plains Region in Anadarko, Oklahoma. Additionally, Rebecca had been assigned to assess tribal courts across the United States.

In 1982, Rebecca began serving as an Assistant District Attorney for Cleveland and McClain Counties.  She handled a felony and misdemeanor case load as well as providing legal advice and representation to county officials.  In 1989, she became a trial attorney in the Enforcement Division of the Oklahoma Department of Securities and was responsible for preparing and representing the Department in complex civil and criminal litigation until her retirement in 2010.

In October of 2015, she was appointed by Chief Gary Batton to the Choctaw Nation District Court as a Special District Judge where she served until her death on September 29, 2020.

A member of the Potawatomi Nation of Oklahoma, Rebecca is survived by her husband David, three grown children, Eric (Missy) of Norman, OK, Aimie (Jason Black) of Austin, TX., and Andrew (Julianna) of Pensacola, FL; her precious five grandchildren, Nathan, Ella, Ethan, Kane and Kenai; her sisters, Gloria Shallcross (Bill) of Norman, OK and Rebecca Page of Park City, UT, and brother, Dee Martin (Toni) Schoemann of Tulsa, OK; plus numerous nieces, nephews and friends.

Information about the Funeral services for Rebecca Alice Cryer can be found at:

https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/norman-ok/rebecca-cryer-9382616