Maudye Winget

The family of Maudye Nan Jayne Winget is saddened to announce her passing on March 9, 2020, in Phoenix, AZ, at age 71. While cancer took her from us, her spirit lives on in so many ways. She was a positive influence on the lives of countless students, teachers, and friends, and a source of joy to her family and friends as well. Maudye is survived by her two sons, Tyler and Patrick; her three grandsons, Jack, Henry, and Mason (whom she adored!); and her daughters-in-law, Jennie and Irma; as well as many dear friends, cousins, and extended family. She was preceded in death by her parents, Jack Jayne and Margaret Poling Jayne. Maudye was born in Tucson, AZ, on February 20, 1949, but she lived most of her life in Muskogee, OK. She attended First Baptist Church of Muskogee for many years, and graduated from Muskogee Central High School in 1967. She then attended Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee, OK, where she studied music and elementary education and earned a bachelors degree. She later earned a masters degree in education from Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, OK. Maudye began her career teaching music at Pershing, Tony Goetz, and Cherokee elementary schools in Muskogee, and she also served as principal of Tony Goetz. Sadler Elementary School in Muskogee transitioned into a K-8th grade arts academy magnet school in 1996, and Maudye became the principal, hiring all the staff and helping chart the course for what the school would become. She always had a passion for the arts, and during her tenure she began having Sadler students and staff create and perform a version of The Nutcracker ballet each holiday season. This beloved tradition continues today. Sadler students began posting some of the district’s highest test scores during Maudye’s tenure, and the school received Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence Medals in 1998, 2002 and 2009, as well as the Governor’s Art Award in 1999 and 2009, among many other honors. Maudye was awarded the Reader’s Digest Hero in Education award in 1999. But despite these many accolades, Maudye was most proud of the atmosphere at Sadler. “We have happy kids, happy teachers, happy parents,” she told a reporter for the Muskogee Phoenix in 2010. “That means more than any test score or any award.” As she eagerly anticipated the birth of her grandchildren, Maudye retired from her work at Sadler in 2010 after 18 years. She spent her retirement years in Phoenix, AZ, but Sadler was forever near and dear to Maudye’s heart. Before her passing, her family asked her if there was anywhere in the world she would like to go. Her answer, of course, was Sadler.