Raymond "Harold" Rozzell

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Services for Raymond "Harold" Rozzell will be held 3:00 P.M., Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024 at Milo Baptist Church with Bro. Mike Johnston officiating and Rev. Paul Dean Martin assisting. Interment will follow at Milo Cemetery. Services are under the care and direction of Alexander Gray Funeral Home in Healdton. 

 Raymond Harold Rozzell was born Oct 5, 1927, in Graham, Oklahoma to James William and Falbie Rae (Smith) Rozzell. He left this world for his Heavenly Home on Monday, November 25, 2024, at the age of 97.

 He made the most important decision of his life when he accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior at the age of 14 at Graham Baptist Church and was baptized at First Baptist Church in Healdton. Harold was a talented athlete and enjoyed playing football and basketball. He graduated from Graham High School in 1945. Immediately after graduation he joined the Merchant Marines and trained at Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn, NY, making one trip on a coal ship to Newport News, VA before the announcement that WWII was over. Left to find his own way home, he hitchhiked back to Oklahoma. That fall he enrolled in Southeastern State College at Durant, Ok and made the college basketball team. Leaving college after one year, he went to work in Borger, TX for Phillips 66 Petroleum. After working six months, he went back home to marry his high school sweetheart, Hazel Lynn Johnston, on Jan 25, 1947, at the home of Creede and Betty Speake in Milo, OK. They immediately returned to Borger where he built their first home in the Rock Creek Addition. They lived there until Sept 1948 before selling their home and returning to the Milo/Woodford area to be near family. They purchased their first vehicle with the proceeds from the sale of their home. Harold began working for J.D. Lewis Oil Company (based out of Dallas, TX) at Pooleville, OK. He later went to work as a contract roustabout worker for Atlantic Richfield. Atlantic Richfield hired him as their relief pumper in the Graham/Loco area and was later given the option to move to Duncan, OK. Hazel was so excited when they moved next door to former Graham graduates, Pete and Christine Teague Knutson. Two weeks later Harold came home from work and told Hazel to pack up: he had just bought F&B Oilfield Construction Company from Bud Cosner of Velma, Oklahoma and they were moving back to Milo. 

Rozzell Construction Company was formed in April 1954, and he began working as a contractor for Edwin L. Cox at their Pruitt City office. Trice Production hired Harold as a contractor to pump their leases during this time. Trice provided him with a salary, a pickup, and medical insurance. Rozzell Construction furnished hands for tubing units/spudders but later changed to straight oilfield construction with ‘daylight’ hours. Hazel stayed busy raising three children and acting as a one-woman office worker for the new business. Many young high school graduates began their oilfield careers with Rozzell Construction before moving on to employment with major oil companies. Harold operated Rozzell Construction for 50 years when he sold the company to his son, Terry Rozzell. In addition to the Rozzell Construction Company, Harold also had cattle and hogs on the farm in Graham. He had also become partners in an oil well with Brian Heirston. Brian and Vesta Heirston had a farm in Oil City. After Brian’s death, Vesta wanted to purchase additional oil wells, but Harold did not have the ready cash to invest. She had had the Oil City farm for sale for several years and wanted to move to Duncan. Harold agreed to purchase the 318-acre farm in Oil City and gave his one-half interest in the oil well as a down-payment on the farm. 

In the 1980’s Harold purchased numerous leases from Edwin L Cox and formed several partnerships with his children, his brother, and his cousin, Billy Paul Smith. For many years he enjoyed the responsibilities and pleasures of working his leases and associated farms. Harold and Hazel were active members of Milo Baptist Church where he was ordained as a deacon. In the late summer of 1966, after remodeling and building on to the original two-bedroom home, Harold and Hazel moved their family from Milo to the newly purchased Oil City farm. They joined the First Baptist Church of Healdton where he served as a deacon and Sunday School teacher during their 50 years of membership. In later years they moved their membership back to Milo Baptist Church. Work was Harold’s hobby. His favorite pastime was building large ponds and pushing trees on his Rafter R Farm in Oil City. He always said, “Cows can’t eat trees.” In 1982 he was awarded the Christian Layman of the Year by the Ministerial Alliance of Healdton. In 2004 He was awarded Oil Man of the Year by the Healdton Chamber of Commerce. Harold was gifted with a generous, loving heart. He enjoyed buying people’s dinners at local cafes, giving hugs and encouragement, being an anonymous donor to those in need, and supporting local high school teams. He was a very social person and always enjoyed visiting with everyone. When asked by a lawyer one time about his education, Harold told him he graduated from OCU (Oil City University, the school of hard knocks). 

 Harold was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Howard, sisters-in-law Berniece Taylor Rozzell, and Tina Russell Rozzell, son Jerry Glenn Rozzell, and grandson Lynn Pearson.

 Harold is survived by his wife of 77 years, Hazel Lynn; son Terry Lynn (Nancy) Rozzell; daughters Marsha Kay (Ray) Pearson, and Nancy Lu Ann (Fred) Wilson, all of Wilson. Granddaughters Jodie Rozzell, Arlington, VA; Tracey (Robbie) Hixon, Norman; Polly Rozzell, Jenks; Kari (Michael) Sanchez of Wilson; and Amy Milson, Ardmore. Great grandchildren: Grady and Noah Hixon of Norman, Mekenzie Sanchez of Wilson, and Jordan Milson of Ardmore and a host of family and friends.

 Pallbearers will be Kevin Robinson, Rodney Green, Max Kilcrease, Kent Stewart, Steve Curry and Mike Puckett.

Honorary Pallbearers will be former employees of Rozzell Construction Company.

Family visitation will be from 6 to 8 pm Tuesday evening at Alexander Gray Funeral Home of Healdton. 

 Condolences and memories may be shared online at www.alexandergrayfh.com.