Extracted from The Daily Oklahoman (Oklahoma City, OK)
Sunday, January 27, 2002

Mary Beth (Sikes) Byrne

BYRNE Mary Beth (Sikes) Byrne was born, May 9, 1968, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma to Arthur and Judy (Nosalek) Sikes. She passed away January 19, 2002, at her home in Laurel, Maryland, after a two-year courageous battle with cancer, at the age of 33 years.

Beth was a 1986 graduate of Prague High School where she received the first Duncan Scholarship to the University of Oklahoma. After two years, she moved to New York and graduated Suma Cum Laude from Mercy College, Dobbs Ferry, New York. She then moved to Washington, D.C., where she was employed by Sprenger & Lang. On May 27, 1995, she married James Michael Byrne in Taneytown, Maryland. At the time of her death, she was employed by Dickstein Shapiro Morin & Oshinsky in Washington, D.C. Beth's loves were family, friends, golf, animals & children.

Preceding her in death were grand parents, Earl Nosalek, Eloise and Troy Sikes, father-in-law, William J. Byrne, Jr. Survivors include husband, James Michael Byrne, Laurel, Maryland; parents, Art & Judy Sikes. Prague, Oklahoma; brother & sister-in-law, Mike & Marla Sikes. Moore, Oklahoma; sister & brother-in-law, Megan & Phillip Jackson. Earlsboro, Oklahoma; grandmother, Helen Nosalek, Branson, Missouri; mother-in-law, Mary Byrne, Pinehurst, North Carolina; brothers-in-law, William Byrne III, Baltimore, Maryland, Tom Byrne, Telluride, Colorado, Matthew Byrne, New York, New York, Peter Byrne, New York, New York; nieces & nephews, Tyler Sikes, Allie Sikes, Harrison Sikes, Sarah Sikes, Emily Jackson, Kendra Jackson, other family and friends.

Services were held on January 23, 2002 at the Maryland City Baptist Church, Maryland City, Maryland with Rev. Philip Schol officiating. Burial was on January 24, 2002 at the Gates of Heaven Cemetery in Mt. Pleasant, New York. Memorial contributions may be made to the Susan G. Koman Breast Cancer Foundation or the charity of your choice.