After more than 45 years in the dentistry business, Mary Ann Teply is retiring. The Watonga First Baptist Church invites the community to celebrate Teply during a retirement party at the church on Wednesday, June 2, from 3 to 5 p.m.
Teply was born in Watonga in 1955, but spent most of her childhood in Tulsa. She moved back to Watonga to finish high school and married her sweetheart Fred Teply in 1973, before he joined the Air Force.
Teply’s first dental job was for Dr. Fred Lucas as a secretary and dental assistant. She and her husband were then stationed in Bitburg, Germany, for two years before returning to Enid, where Teply worked for an orthodontist for three years.
“This is when I decided to stay in the dental field,” Teply recalled.
When Fred Teply left the military and enrolled at Southwestern Oklahoma State University, the family moved back to Watonga and Teply took a job in Dr. Lucas’ office again. She was originally hired as a secretary, but another woman backed out after being hired as Lucas’ dental assistant.
“Dr. Lucas called me before August to see if I would rather have the dental assisting position,” Teply recalls, “and I said yes. So, I started working for him on August 1, 1979 as a dental assistant.”
Teply worked for Lucas until he retired in 2014. At first she did lab work, made retainers and helped with new patient exams. “I taught how to conduct new patient exams to other dental office for Dr. Lucas for two to three years,” she said.
In 1980, Lucas floated the idea of going to dental hygiene school to Teply, but she didn’t think the timing was right. But in 1996 he asked again and this time she went through with it, graduating in 1999.
Teply continued working for Lucas and also in Oklahoma City at Dental Depot for nine years. After Lucas’ retirement, Teply remained at the practice under MB2, where she worked for the past seven years.
“I will miss my patients,” Teply said. “ I have been in the dental field for about 46 and a half years.”
Teply has two children, Ryan and Monica, and one grandson with another due in June. “I am looking forward to spending time with them and continuing my community activities after retirement,” Teply said. “Hopefully, Fred and I can do some traveling, too.”
Watonga First Baptist is located at 301 North Noble Ave.