Osage County, Oklahoma, Obituary: WILLIAM C. "DICK" WHETSELL Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joann Brazee Osage County News Service (OCNS) http://ocns.freeyellow.com/ Email: ocns@hotmail.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ WILLIAM C. "DICK" WHETSELL OCNS-December 6, 1999 - A memorial service will be held at 1:30 p.m., Tuesday, December 7, 1999 for William C. "Dick" Whetsell, longtime Osage County resident who passed away December 4, 1999. Dick was born October 3, 1918 at Duncan, Oklahoma to Bessie Mae (Green) Whetsell and Odus Whetsell and grew up on a farm six miles west of Comanche, where he attended grade school at Oak College. Dick was a 1937 graduate and valedictorian of Comanche High School and attended Cameron Junior College two years before transferring to Oklahoma A&M (Now Oklahoma State University) at Stillwater, where he graduated with the Class of 1941. He and Merle Marilynn McDaniel were married January 26, 1941 and following graduation Dick became one of Oklahoma's first soil conservationists, working for the Soil Conservation Service from 1941 until 1955, taking time off 1944-1945 to serve in the U.S. Navy. From 1955 until his retirement in 1984, Dick was manager of Adam's ranches and president of the extensive land and cattle operations of Oklahoma Land and Cattle Company in Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, Texas and New Mexico. Following his retirement, Dick worked as a ranching and soil consultant and was instrumental in the development of the Tall Grass Prairie Preserve, which opened in Osage County, Oklahoma in 1989. He was preceded in death by his parents, his brother, Donald Whetselll and a sister, Lucille Sparks. Survivors in addition to his wife, Marilynn of the home in Pawhuska, include three sisters, Francis Anderson of Flower Mound, Texas, Virginia Howell of Ruidosa, New Mexico and Linda Dunlap of Tulsa, Oklahoma; three daughters, Deanna Whetsell of Seatle, Washington, Donna Aldridge and her husband, Henry of Atlanta, Georgia, Dixie Whetsell and her husband, Dave Underhill of Portland, Oregon; two sons and their wives, Richard Whetsell and Karolann of Midwest City, Oklahoma and Robert Whetsell and Virginia Blanton-Whetsell of Poughkeepsie, New York and numerous other family and friends. Dick was especially proud of his six grandchildren and three great grandchildren: Kevin Shaw, Donald Whetsell, Sara Green, Nancy Whetsell, Emma Whetsell, Amanda Aldridge, Courtni Whetsell, Malachi Whetsell and Micah Whetsell. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to two of Mr. Whetsell's most beloved institutions, the First Christian Church, Ninth and Prudom, Pawhuska, Oklahoma or the Pawhuska Community Foundation for the Tall Grass Prairie Interpretive Center, Atten: David Keathly, 222 West Main Street, Pawhuska, Oklahoma.