Obituary for Billy Rawdon

Ponca City Now - July 25, 2016 12:00 am

Billy Rawdon

(Born Oct. 30, 1926 – Died July 20, 2016)

Billy Neal Rawdon, longtime resident of Ponca City, died Wednesday morning, July 20, 2016, at Hillcrest Medical Center in Tulsa following a lengthy illness. Born October 30, 1926, in Drumright, he died at 89 years of age. The son of Allen B. and Flora E. Rawdon, he had four brothers and four sisters.

Bill graduated from High School in 1944 and served in the U.S. Army 1945-46. After being honorably discharged in 1946, he worked for Western Electric installing telephone dialing equipment in Ketchum, OK.

Bill and Loretta Downs were married in Tahlequah and moved to Woodward where he worked for Southwestern Stationery & Bank Supply. Transferred to the Ponca City store in 1950, he was a multilith operator in the print shop.

In 1965, having never worked in a service station, Bill leased a station on Highland Ave. that had been closed a year while the street was being widened. Over seven years, that station changed from Cities Service to Citgo, and then to Gulf. In 1973, he built and opened his own DX station on North 7th St., and operated it until his retirement in 1993 after 20 years in business. He built an office building on Comanche Ave. in 1980. In 1993 Bill had the station demolished and replaced it with an office building at 7th & Comanche. Both are now Ponca City school buildings.

Bill was preceded in death by his mother, father, several brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews.

Survivors include his wife Loretta, of the home, sons Larry J. Rawdon and wife Katie of Jacksonville, FL, Jeffrey L. Rawdon and wife Kathy of Yukon, OK, granddaughters Emily Rawdon of White Plains, NY, Amanda Rawdon Tozzi and husband Simone of Astoria, NY, grandsons Shawn Rabensburg and wife Allie of Bellevue, NE, Aaron Rabensburg and wife Adrianne of Cameron, NC, and five great grandchildren.

Cremation is under the direction of Trout Funeral Home. A private graveside memorial will be held at a later date. Memorials may be made to a charity of your choice.

Source: Trout Funeral Home