Karla Jean (Mills) Cole

Karla Jean (Mills) Cole was born April 18, 1942, to Pershing and Elperna (Nix) Mills in Hinton, Oklahoma. She passed away Friday, August 21, 2026, at Weatherford Regional Hospital in Weatherford, Oklahoma, at the age of 84. Karla graduated from Binger High School. After working at a few different places, she moved to Oklahoma City and went to work for Lee Way Trucking. She later moved to Muskogee, Oklahoma, where she owned and operated a trucking company.  In the early 1990s, she returned to Binger to help her mother and father at the Mills Cafe. She made Binger her home and enjoyed a simple life filled with the things she loved most—her plants, her animals, especially her cats and dogs, and going to the casino. Karla jokingly referred to going to the casino as “going to work,” and she was very good at her job. Karla had a personality all her own. She could be a little ornery at times, and she never held back from telling you exactly what she thought. You never had to wonder where you stood with Karla. She was honest, straightforward, and always true to herself. For 30 years, Karla shared her life with her companion, best friend, and “partner in crime,” Frank Boles. Together they shared many years of companionship, laughter, and memories.
Karla was a member of the Binger Baptist Church, where she was baptized as a young woman.
 

She is survived by her son, Steve Johnson of Binger, Oklahoma; granddaughter, Lauren Johnson and her daughter, Charlotte, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; one sister, Donna Hall of Garland, Texas; one brother, Gary Mills of Binger, Oklahoma; sister-in-law, Lorene Mills of Clinton, Oklahoma; her good friend, Odie Tackett of Binger, Oklahoma; her little friend, Kaizlee; and many nieces, nephews, other relatives, and many friends.
 

Karla was preceded in death by her parents, Pershing and Elperna Mills; her son, Terry Johnson; her brother, Larry Mills; and her longtime companion and partner in crime, Frank Bowles.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Binger Senior Citizens.

The family will hold a memorial service for family and friends at Murray Cemetery in Binger, Oklahoma, on Saturday 10:00 AM, August 29, 2026.

Services entrusted to Turner Funeral Home, Hinton, Oklahoma. Condolences may be sent to the family at turnerfuneralhomes@gmail.com, turnerfh.net, or you can find us on facebook.com (Turner Funeral Homes.)

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