Stilwell Cemetery

Deborah Barbeau participates in the carnation ceremony during the remembrance service at Zion Lutheran Church on Feb. 12.Kim Hellebuyck, right, passes out red carnations to Kim Flaherty and Kathy Johnston at the crypt for the 51 souls who perished on Flight 3407 during a ceremony held at Forest Lawn Cemetery on Feb. 11. Pictures by Jim Smerecak.Family and friends of the air disaster’s victims attend the remembrance service for the Flight 3407 tragedy at Zion Lutheran Church on Feb. 12.Chris Kausner stands at the crash site on Long Street on Feb. 12 and tolls a bell 51 times in honor of those lost in the crash.img class="wp-image-52341 size-medium" src="https://www.clarencebee.com/wp-content/uploads/images/2019-02-20/32p6-300x187.jpg" alt="Pastor Steve Biegner leads attendees in prayer at the Flight 3407 crash site on Feb. 12." width="300" srcset="https://www.clarencebee.com/wp-content/uploads/images/2019-02-20/32p6-300x187.jpg 300w, https://www.clarencebee.com/wp-content/uploads/images/2019-02-20/32p6-768x478.jpg 768w, https://www.clarencebee.com/wp-content/uploads/images/2019-02-20/32p6-1024x637.jpg 1024w, https://www.clarencebee.com/wp-content/uploads/images/2019-02-20/32p6-400x249.jpg 400w, https://www.c...

KTUL) — Stilwell, Oklahoma may claim to be the strawberry capital of the world, but there’s another title that’s not on the welcome sign.Stilwell has the lowest life expectancy in America.RELATED Stilwell residents react to lowest life expectancy rate in the U.S.“People were like, oh my gosh,” said Lorie Trentham.“It was a hot topic for at least a couple of weeks,” said her husband, Ronnie.The two long time Stilwell residents have a visceral understanding of mortality. Ronnie is battling cancer for the seventh time.“I’ve had complications on my throat and things. I am having some problems with eating,” said Ronnie.In a town where the average life expectancy is just 56-years-old, Ronnie thinks about whether he can beat the odds.“I thought cancer was the last thing in the world that would come against me again,” said Ronnie.Stilwell is a poor town and many people struggle to get by.“It says, diabetes need help with insulin,” said Albert Beck, pointing the sign he was holding on the side of the road.On average, families make $24,000 a year here. Albert knows what that’s like.“I try to make it, sometimes I do and sometimes I don’t,” said Albert.Hard work and sacrifice are nothing new here. A point made clear by the local cemetery, it marks the end of the trail of tears. Even with local challenges and widespread signs of poverty, not everyone believes the mortality study is true.But sometimes, it comes down to simple math.“When it’s put on paper, it really brings it to light,” said Brandy Girdner.On the top of local deaths, Brandy is an expert. She’s the funeral director at Stilwell’s ‘Roberts Reed Culver Funeral Home.’ Brandy counted and realized, half of the funerals she handled in 2018 were for people in their 50s and 60s.“It was an eye-opening experience when you have friends who are burying their spouses and they’re in their fifties,” said Brandy.Markwayne Mullin is...