Mindie Sue Eason

Mindie Sue (Horton) Eason, 67, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, passed away on June 8, 2026. Born on April 21, 1959, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Mindie lived a life defined by love, laughter, hard work, and unwavering devotion to her family and friends.

Mindie graduated from Nathan Hale High School in Tulsa in 1977 and later studied Art History at Tulsa Junior College. She built a successful career in retail merchandising and management, working for Jon A. Brown, Saks Fifth Avenue, Talbots, Gordmans, and Francesca’s. No matter where she worked, she had a gift for making people feel seen, valued, and cared for.

Mindie had a way of making you feel like you were the most important person in the room. Her laugh and smile were infectious, and very few people had the ability to outwork her, whether in the garden she lovingly tended or throughout her career.

Her green thumb was legendary. Houseplants she had nurtured for more than 30 years still thrive today, living reminders of the care and patience she poured into everything she loved. Her gardens are filled with irises, yellow cannas, and tiger lilies that bring beauty and joy to all who see them.

She was also a legendary cook. Mindie’s Meatloaf was so beloved that it found its way onto a catering menu in Norman, Oklahoma. Her chili was never made the same way twice and was somehow always perfect. Her daughters didn’t realize spaghetti sauce could come from a jar until late elementary school because homemade was all they had ever known. Mindie Burgers became a family favorite, and no gathering felt complete without the love she expressed through feeding those around her.

A talented calligrapher, Mindie shared a love of beautiful lettering with her mother, Marie. It was one of many artistic gifts she carried throughout her life and passed along to those she loved.

Of all the roles Mindie held, none brought her greater joy than being a wife, mother, and Nana.

Mindie and James “Jim” Eason shared one of those love stories that people hope to find in their own lives. They began dating in 1980, enjoying camping trips on the back of Jim’s motorcycle and evenings spent listening to music while cheering him on at his gigs. They were married on October 2, 1982, and Mindie looked like an absolute angel on her wedding day.

For 43 years of marriage, “Jim and Mindie” was spoken almost as one word. They built a life side by side, rebuilding their first home with the help of Mindie’s brother, Duke, adding onto it to welcome their growing family, and constructing a beautiful deck that still stands nearly 40 years later. Whatever life placed before them, they did it together.

As parents, Mindie and Jim coached their daughters’ soccer teams, and Mindie could always be counted on to be the loudest voice cheering from the sidelines, choir concerts, school plays, assemblies, and every activity in between. While Jim traveled for work, Mindie somehow managed it all—raising two daughters, running the household and home office, supporting after-school activities, creating art and sewing projects, tackling do-it-yourself endeavors, and still finding time for family and friends.

As her daughters grew and began families of their own, Mindie returned to work and found another set of “girls” at Francesca’s. She loved spoiling and encouraging them just as she had her own daughters.

Retirement brought Mindie back to the simple joys she cherished most: spending time with her husband and best friend, dining out, baking her famous Rum Cake, gardening, making trips to Norman, enjoying casino nights, and loving on her grandchildren.

Her grandchildren were among her greatest joys. Ayden arrived first and captured her heart in an entirely new way. Lily followed and became her little princess. Connor brought up the rear and was the first to call it “Nana and Papa’s house,” a title that delighted her. Birthday parties, holidays, Halloween trick-or-treating, and ordinary afternoons playing in the backyard became treasured memories that her family will carry forever.

Mindie loved her family deeply and with true passion. She always wanted to hear the latest happenings in the lives of those she loved. She couldn’t wait to celebrate your successes and was often the first to stand beside you through your failures. She taught her daughters how to cook, host gatherings, appreciate art and antiques, garden, and love fiercely.

Mindie is survived by her devoted husband of 43 years, James “Jim” Eason; her daughter Jamie Swain and husband Lucas Swain, and their son Connor; her daughter Michelle Rigsbee and husband Lee Rigsbee III, and their children Ayden and Liliana; her brother, Kent Horton; her sister, Lisa Riddle, and brother-in-law Ray Riddle; along with numerous extended family members, friends, former coworkers, and all those fortunate enough to have been welcomed into her circle.

She was preceded in death by her father, Earle E. Horton II; her mother, Yvonne Marie Horton; and her brother, Earle E. (Duke) Horton III.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, at Stanley’s Funeral Home, 3959 E. 31st Street, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74135.

Flowers are welcome and fitting for a woman who spent her life cultivating beauty and helping things grow.

Think of Mindie when your tiger lilies bloom, when you’re stirring spaghetti sauce from scratch, when you bring home another houseplant convinced you’ll keep it alive for the next 30 years, or when you gather the people you love around your table. Her legacy lives on in the meals shared, the gardens tended, the traditions continued, and the countless people who were made to feel like the most important person in the room simply because they were loved by her.