Obituaries

Joe Francis, native of Beckham County, went to be with our Lord on August 18. Joe was born December 20, 1931, in his parents’ home in Texola to Earl and Sybil Francis where Earl was serving as an accomplished Banker and County Commissioner. The family moved to Sayre a few years later where Earl was elected to serve 4 terms as County Sheriff. Joe spent a few years of his early life at the County Jail where his family made residence and care taking for inmates.

Clifford Lee Williams was born March 20, 1933 in a two room house near the banks of Sandstone Creek. The location was northeast of Berlin (Roger Mills County), Oklahoma. His parents were Raymond Lee and Dulcie Bell (Marshall) Williams. He attended Berlin Public Schools and graduated in 1951.That fall he enrolled at Oklahoma A&M College. He married Bobbie Vernell Hayden on January 24, 1953 at his parent’s home. To this marriage two sons were born, Donald Lee Williams and Thomas Hayden Williams. He served in the United States Army in artillery during the Korean Conflict. Following his discharge, he returned to Oklahoma A&M College where he completed his undergraduate and masters degree in Agronomy. His professional career was with the United States Department of Agriculture. He worked in Montana, New York, Colorado, Texas, and the National Plant Materials Center, Beltsville, Maryland. During his career, he completed graduate and post graduate studies including courses at the USDA Graduate School in Washington, D.C. Clifford’s primary work was in the field of plant materials where he was involved in the development and release of several grasses for use in the Great Plains Region. He was privileged to serve as a consultant on major federal highways, airports, railroad construction sites and military installations. Clifford was an avid student of wind erosion in the Southern Great Plains Region. He was also an advocate of the certifi cation for Agronomist and worked hard for the success of the program. Following several years of field work and professional writings, he was promoted into management. Upon his retirement as a Certified Professional Agronomist from USDA, Clifford and Vernell returned to the home place on Sandstone Creek and built their retirement home. For the next 30 years they raised commercial herds of black angus cattle. He served many years on the Beckham County Rural Water District No. 3 Board of Directors. He also inherited his dad’s job of caring for the Berlin Cemetery. Clifford was a long time member of the Church of Christ. He departed this life on August 10, 2023.

Thomas Jackson Bradley, Jr., “Jack”, age 88, died Saturday, August 5, 2023 in the Veterans Medical Center at Claremore, Oklahoma following his health issue with Alzheimer’s disease.