Laray Robison's Obituary
Ray Robison, 85, peacefully joined the Lord on April 18, 2018. Born to Leroy and Gladys Opal (McAlister) Robison in Okemah, OK on September 15, 1932. Ray grew up there with older brothers Gene and Bob and younger sister Thelma. The day after his 15th birthday he entered the Oklahoma National Guard for a 3-year enlistment. A few weeks prior to his 18th birthday he began active duty in the U.S. Army and served as a Staff Sergeant in the 45th Division during the Korean War. Ray married JoAnn Dawley, also of Okemah, in 1953. They made their home in Tulsa, OK and had three children, Christa, Larry and Alan. Ray’s first job was with Douglas Aircraft and later worked for American Airlines. But he spent most of his career with T.D. Williamson and, like many of his peers at TDW, grew with the company. He spent much of his career as a pipeline service technician and later a customer service representative. Ray and JoAnn transferred to Denver in 1985 and after several years there, Ray retired and they returned to Tulsa. Although he traveled extensively throughout his career, he still had enough energy to enjoy working on the house, cars, motorcycles and boats and attending school music and athletic events. There was no project he would sidestep and no school activity he would miss. While he took much pride in his military service and his professional work record, his biggest accomplishment was his children becoming the first generation of his family to earn college degrees. Ray will be dearly missed by JoAnn, his beloved companion for nearly 65 years; his children and their spouses, Christa and Steve Cole, Larry and Ginger, and Alan and Martha; his 7 grandchildren; and his 4 great grandchildren. A memorial service will be held Friday, April 27, 2018, 10:00 AM, at Floral Haven Funeral Home in Broken Arrow, with committal at Fort Gibson National Cemetery.
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