October 18, 1943 ~ June 13, 2026
Avice Dolores Barnett Legg, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and aunt went home to be with the Lord on Saturday, June 13, 2026, in Miami, Oklahoma. She was 82 years old. Born October 18, 1943, in Welch, Oklahoma, she was the daughter of Cecil and Alice Barnett.
Avice grew up in the Centralia community, where she attended Miles School through the eighth grade before graduating from Centralia High School in 1961. It was there that she first met a boy named Jerry Legg — though neither of them could have guessed what that acquaintance would one day become. After graduation she attended Bartlesville Business College in 1961, then went on to build a career with Phillips Petroleum in Bartlesville and Marathon Oil in Tulsa.
In the spring of 1960, while she was working at a nursing home in Vinita, Jerry — on a dare from his friends — asked her out. That dare turned into a courtship, and on March 23, 1964, Avice Dolores Barnett became Avice Legg. After starting their family, Jerry and Avice made their home in Broken Arrow, where they would live and put down roots until 1985. In Broken Arrow, she poured herself into her greatest calling — raising her children in a home anchored in faith, love, and devotion to God.
Her life was a testament to quiet, faithful service. A homemaker in every sense of the word, she created a home that was a refuge — not only for her own family, but for the children of her community. Beginning in 1974, she welcomed children into her home so their mothers could work, a labor of love she offered without fanfare for decades. That same open-armed spirit extended to her grandchildren and extended family, who grew up knowing her home as a safe and loving place.
When she wasn't caring for others, Avice could be found painting, tending her flower garden, losing herself in a good book, hunting for treasures at antique shops, or simply enjoying time with the family she loved so well.
Her faith was the foundation of everything. Avice accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior at the West Cabin Baptist Church and was baptized by Pastor Bill Collins June 18, 1952. That commitment never wavered. After the family returned to the Vinita area in 1985, she became a devoted member of First Baptist Church in Vinita, where she taught Sunday school for many years, shaping young hearts and minds with the same patience and grace she gave to everyone around her.
Her greatest legacy was her children and grandchildren, whom she loved fiercely and prayed over regularly.
She is survived by her husband of 62 years, Jerry Legg of Vinita; her daughter Julie Ogdon and son-in-law Jerry Wayne Ogdon of Vinita; her daughter Amy Davis and son-in-law Brian Davis of Pryor; her son Grant Legg and daughter-in-law Meredith Legg of Coweta; her grandchildren Nolan, Logan, Nathan, Jett, and Avery; her brother Cecil Barnett (Junior) and his family of Vinita; and her sister Pamela Hutchinson and her family of Bluejacket. She was preceded in death by her parents, Cecil and Alice Barnett, and her sister Janetta Williams.
The celebration of life will be held on Thursday, June 18, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. at the First Baptist Church in Vinita, Pastor Adam Lazarine officiating. Online condolences may be made at www.highsmithfh.com or on the funeral home Facebook page. Arrangements are in the care of the Burckhalter-Highsmith Funeral and Cremation Services of Vinita. “Vinita’s only locally family owned and operated funeral home.”