Browning, Ray Owen

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Updated: 12 Apr 2013
Created: 08 Jan 2012

Daily Oklahoman, The
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
February 22, 2006, page 18A

Ray Owen Browning went to meet his Savior on February 19, 2006. He was born 27 Feb 1921 in Bicknell, In. to Alger Dorsey Browning and Ora Dell Hunter. Alger and Ora married in KY and were transplanted to Indiana for job purposes. Ora died when Ray was about three weeks old and Ray went to live with his aunt Eva Mitchel and her husband, Malcolm about 4 1/2 yrs. until Eva died. Ray went to live with his father, step-mother and brother, Roger. Ray had two half-sisters, Opal Beatrice and Dorothy Lorraine.

Ray served in WWII for two years; he was near Calcutta, India. Pre-WWII, when he was serving at TAFB, he met the love of his life, Allene Mae Duncan from Wewoka, OK. After the war he and Allene were married in Cuba, MO on June 26, 1946. They had four children, Donald Ray, William Allen, Robert Owen and Rhona Kaye. They moved to Choctaw, Ok in 1959; the children graduated from Choctaw High School. Allene preceded him in death in Aug 1964. Ray remarried 3 Jun 1966 in Britton, OK to Harriett Elizabeth Johnson Marshall. Elizabeth added two children to the family, Karen and Ed Marshall. Ray was in Engine Test at TAFB from Dec 1946, the same type job he did in India; he retired Mar 1976.

John Miskelly recruited him as a Sgt-at-arms in the Okla Legislature. That summer, he went to work as a guard at the Cowboy Hall of Fame. In 1980, when Sheriff J.D. Sharp started the Reserves, Ray joined, and was the first graduate of CLEET Jan 1981.

He was preceded in death by his father, step-mother, brother Roger, sister Dorothy, son Robert, grandson Thomas Dominic and great-granddaughter Sarah Lynn Browning. Ray is survived by his wife, Elizabeth; sons: Don (Pat) Browning of McLoud and Al (Bev) Browning of Tecumseh and his daughter, Rhona (David) Van Buskirk of OKC; Karen Heffley of Harrah and Ed (Pam) Marshall and Andrew of Copley, OH. He is also survived by grandchildren, Shawnda Browning, Braidyn, Ashley and Hunter of Newalla; Don, Jr. (Misty), Colton and Gant of Dallas; April (Steven) Boutwell, Allie and Ehrett; Tim (Carrie) Browning, Tim. Jr, and Cassidy of Topeka, Ks; Travis (Lindsey) Browning and Chase of Jacksonville, FL; Tina Switzer, Alan-Michael, Tiffany and her son, Logan of Tulsa; granddaughter; Tonya (Kirk) Stelting, Nathan and Brooklyn of Tulsa; Al Browning, Jr. of Midwest City; Tawnya Burton, Britney, Trey, and Joshua of Luther; Stephonie Browning, Nicholas, Alex and Ashley of MWC; Ray (Candace) Herrin and Dylan, Ty, and Audrey of Wellston; Amber Herrin and Kaeesha of OK; Danielle Heffley (Lee) Poe, Cristina (Dustin) Gorman and Cameron of Moore, Boston and Steven of Harrah; Kenny (Kim) Heffley, John, Kayla, Rance, Jesse, Tyler and Sari of Sundown, TX; Paul (Erica) Heffley and Cooper of Yukon.

Services will be held at 2:00 p.m. February 23rd at Harrah Church of the Nazarene with burial at Arlington Memory Gardens. Please make donations to the charity of your choice.

... Contributed by Marti Graham, Transcriber, . Information posted as courtesy to researchers.