Bill Blackwood Jr.

Bill Blackwood Jr. age 77 of Washington, passed away Friday, April 12, 2019 at Norman Regional Hospital in Norman. He was born June 29, 1941 in Elmore City, Oklahoma, the 2nd of six children born to Bill Blackwood Sr. and Zettie Faye (Fuller) Blackwood. Bill grew up in the country and had lots of special memories of his early years at Parks School where he played softball, along with his first baseman Norma Ivey, and made many other life-long friends. He attended high school in Elmore City where he exceled in sports and graduated with the class of 1959. On October 12, 1962, he married Glenda Joyce Blankenship, the love of his life for more than 56 years, and together they raised two daughters and made their home in Elmore City until 2011. Bill served in the U. S. Army Reserves for four years during the Vietnam War where he was the oldest enlistee at 26 in his basic training class. He spent his entire working life in the oil and gas industry, with 35 of those years serving as a Pumper for Amoco Production Co, retiring in 1998. He also ran cattle throughout his life and hauled many loads to the OKC stockyards for himself and others. Bill passed his love of sports on to his daughters and he tried to never miss a ballgame or track meet during their school years. It was important to him to make sure his family saw places outside their hometown and they shared many fun family adventures to New Mexico, Colorado and Florida - always driving, because you couldn't see anything flying! He taught his girls the importance of an education, how to check the oil, play poker and read the stock pages. While living "on the hill" in Elmore, the family was blessed to be surrounded by wonderful neighbors who became part of their family - George and Maxine Dale, Jay and Nan Hunt, Harvey and Berniece Baker and then later, Ronnie and Sandy Turner. In 2011, Bill and Glenda moved to Washington to be close to their grandsons, Brody and Sutton. As a proud "Pop", Bill devoted many hours to traveling around the state watching the boys play basketball, baseball and golf. He was a member of Union Hill Baptist Church in Purcell and enjoyed watching horse racing and meeting his friends, Sam McCaskill, Joe Simmons, Don Moss, Raymond Ivey, Jim Anderson, Larry McNeil and Jerry Smith for their monthly lunch. He was a proud member of the Chickasaw Nation and the Chickasaw Warrior Society and enjoyed seeing the success and expansion of the Chickasaws over the past 10 years. Because of his failing health, Bill has lived for the past six months at the Norman Veterans Center and his family want to thank the staff for their compassionate care during this time. He was preceded in death by: Parents: Bill Sr. and Zettie Blackwood. One brother: Jimmy Blackwood, Two sisters: Lavon Wimberly and Mildred Blackwood. He is survived by: Wife of 56 years: Glenda of the home in Washington, OK, Two daughters: Kristy Stark and husband Jim of San Marcos, TX, Stacy Moore and husband Paul of Washington, OK. Two grandsons: Brody and Sutton Moore of Washington, OK, Two sisters: Roszetta McGregor of Goldsby, OK, Linda Harris and husband Wayne of Elmore City, OK, One sister-in-law: Cathy Blackwood of Greenville, AR. Also many nieces, nephews, cousins and a host of other relatives and friends. Funeral services will be 2:00 pm Wednesday, April 17, 2019 at Union Hill Baptist Church, 20441 Bryant Ave, Purcell. Interment will be at the Elmore City Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Union Hill Baptist Church, c/o Haiti Mission Fund.

Bill Blackwood Jr.

June 29, 1941 - April 12, 2019