Ollie B. Burgin Jr's Obituary
Ollie B. "Butch" Burgin, Jr. passed away Friday, April 26, 2024 at the age of 77 after a valiant battle with cancer.
He was a proud Texan, having been born in Whitesboro, Texas on November 1, 1946 to Ollie B. Sr. and Melba Burgin.
Butch married the love of his life, Pat Terrell, June 1, 1968; they were together for nearly 56 years. He loved surprising her with a 50th Wedding Anniversary party several years ago, celebrating this milestone surrounded by family and friends. Together, they made 10 moves and had a lifetime of adventures.
He had a Bachelor's of Science with a double major in Sociology & Psychology and a Master's of Business Administration from East Texas State University. He served in the United States Air Force, stationed at Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota, earning the rank of Captain, as a member of Strategic Air Command, military police. He loved everything aviation and had dreamed of being a fighter pilot in the Air Force before he realized he couldn't pass the depth perception vision test. After leaving the service, he worked as a parole officer, and as a probation officer with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. He later managed information security for several major defense firms in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
From an early age, Butch enjoyed building model cars and airplanes; a hobby that continued his entire life. He even won ribbons of excellence from first place to honorable mention entering more than 10 different models over the years in the Texas State Fair, Oklahoma State Fair, and Tulsa State Fair. Every model he entered into a competition earned some type of recognition, a point he was particularly proud of.
He loved 'his' Dallas Cowboys and followed college football, cheering for just about any Texas-based team. He had an extensive collection of vinyl LP's and when listening to music, whether album or CD, he was often asked if he could turn the volume down. He always had chocolate on hand, didn't matter what kind or brand. As a lover of all things science fiction, he took inspiration for his Halloween costumes going as Spock from "Star Trek" complete with pointed latex ears and homemade phaser to Darth Vader from "Star Wars" with the black helmet and cape.
Butch was always passionate about animals, and found fulfillment, after retirement, in transporting rescue dogs to areas of the country where they would find loving homes. He sincerely loved helping get "fur babies" out of Texas and Oklahoma. He felt a kinship with so many of the dogs, but especially loved the ones that got to ride in the front seat with him. He found the dog rescue/transport community to be a selfless and awesome group of people. His first transport was August 2014, continuing until earlier this year due to his health condition. With each trip, he logged the start and stop point, the names of the dogs and took photos, if he could. Altogether, he helped more than 1,700 dogs along the road to a new and better life.
Butch is survived by his wife, Pat; daughter, Nicole and her fiancee, Sean Capshaw. He is preceded in death by his parents, Ollie B. Sr. and Melba Burgin.
A Celebration of Life is being planned for the near future and we will notify all family and friends.
He was loyal and committed to supporting members of the U.S. military and charitable organizations that support military members and their families; along with his love for animals. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation or Wounded Warrior Project, or if you are so inclined, to your local animal rescue organization. Two of the local organizations he made cross-country rescue transports for in the Tulsa area are Inola Rescue at 30217 S. 4170 Road, Inola, OK 74036 and Fix'Em Inc., on PayPal [email protected].
Following his cancer diagnosis in 2023, Butch wrote a few notes including his last parting message in the words of Spock, his favorite fictional character, "Live Long and Prosper."
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