Renee' Bassett Willis MD completed her life of service to others on February 10, 2025. A celebration of her life will be 11:00 a.m. Saturday, March 1, 2025 at the Cushing First United Methodist Church. A reception will follow at 1:00 p.m. at the Stillwater Country Club. Dress for a joyful celebration. Strode Funeral Home and Cremation is in charge of the arrangements.

She was born on March 25, 1952 to Phyllis and Clifford Bassett, MD in Oklahoma City and raised in Cushing where from the earliest age she aspired to a career in medicine like her father. A born leader, tireless worker and good student, she graduated from her beloved Cushing High School in 1970. She then began 14 years of education at OU where she served as president of Delta Delta Delta sorority and won the OU Gold Letzeiser Award in 1973 as Outstanding Senior Woman.

In 1978 she married her husband, fellow medical student Randy Willis and in 1979 she earned her MD degree from OU and entered the General Surgery program at OUHSC. Renee and her best friend and sorority sister Teresa Shavney were among a handful of the pioneering earliest women to enter surgical training. While in training, she was the first surgical resident to have a baby, Elena Beth, much to the concern of some of her surgical faculty, one of whom said, "Renee' you are going to have to decide whether to be a surgeon or a mother - you can't do both!" She responded, "Doctor, I will show you that I can!" In 1984 she began her surgery practice in Stillwater and within a year gave birth to daughter, Valerie Renee'.

She served her community as a physician for 25 years and, always ready to volunteer for service, she was a leader in many organizations in Stillwater and served on the admissions board at the OU Medical School for many years. She was also active in leadership positions in both the First Presbyterian and First United Methodist Churches of Stillwater where she led numerous medical mission trips to Mexico and Bolivia, a role that led her to inspire many young people with an interest in medicine to pursue their goal. There are a large number of young physicians now, and especially women doctors who would say she was their mentor and role model including her daughter Elena Woodson, MD and niece Andrea Palmer, MD.

She adored her daughters, and spent any free time planning birthday parties, sewing Halloween costumes, and making crepes suzette. Then, after helping with homework, she would head back to the hospital to do an appendectomy in the middle of the night. Her dedicated motherhood led her daughters to pursue their dreams of achieving post graduate degrees of MD and MFA in Design. "Q.E.D. Doctor!"

She retired from surgery in 2009 and continued serving the Stillwater community in a medical role until developing progressive memory loss likely due to a lifetime of sleepless nights in the operating room. She saved many lives, made many house calls, counseled and treated countless women with breast cancer, and sutured many friends and family members on her dining room table. She loved to shop, paint, dance and sing, and made many beautiful quilts in her retirement. She and Randy were blessed to travel widely, completing over 25 trips to Europe and South America together.

For the last 6 years of her life, she was cared for by a dedicated team of caregiving angels, the primary of which was her husband Randy, and assisted in her final months by Judith Karman Hospice who attended to her every need with the same compassion she always showed others. Throughout her final years she remained the gracious angel that was her core. "Well done, good and faithful servant!"

She is survived by her husband Randy Wills MD, daughters Valerie Renee' Tower (Andrew Tower) of Crested Butte, CO, Elena Beth Woodson, MD (Jeremy Woodson, MD) of Oklahoma City, grandchildren Thatcher and Genevieve Woodson of Oklahoma City, sisters Betsy Bassett Hibbard (Ken Hibbard) of Cushing, and Lisa Bassett Synar of Edmond along with nieces and nephews Jillian Blakemore of Cushing, Andrea Palmer, MD of Fort Worth, Lauren Stinnett of Dallas and Clifford Synar of Oklahoma City.

In appreciation of their service given to Renee' her family would like to designate the Life Center Adult Day Services www.lifecenterads.org as a worthy recipient of contributions in her honor.

Condolences may be emailed to the family and an online obituary may be viewed by

visiting www.strodefh.com.