Mary Wilkinson, ex-wife of former Oklahoma coach, dies at 88

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Mary Shifflett Wilkinson, the ex-wife of former Oklahoma coach Charles ``Bud'' Wilkinson, died early Sunday of complications from a broken hip. She was 88. <br/><br/>Wilkinson

Monday, April 25th 2005, 6:08 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Mary Shifflett Wilkinson, the ex-wife of former Oklahoma coach Charles ``Bud'' Wilkinson, died early Sunday of complications from a broken hip. She was 88.

Wilkinson had been hospitalized since March 26, when she fell and broke her hip. A memorial service was planned for 11 a.m. Monday at All Souls Episcopal Church.

Wilkinson, who was born on June 19, 1916, in Grinnell, Iowa, married Bud Wilkinson while she was a student at Carleton College in Northfield, Minn., and moved with him to the University of Syracuse in Syracuse, N.Y., where she completed her education.

Bud Wilkinson was hired as an assistant football coach at the University of Oklahoma in 1946 and within a year was named head coach. The couple remained married throughout his 17 years as head coach, which included three national championships. They divorced in 1975.

Mary Wilkinson worked for a time as a professional model and more recently did volunteer work for several organizations. She traveled extensively and studied at Le Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris.

She is survived by two sons and their spouses, Dr. Pat and Alice Wilkinson of Baltimore, and Jay and Rita Wilkinson of Houston; six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

Bud Wilkinson died in 1994.