Ronald Pendergraft

Ronald Sturges Pendergraft, 73 year old, Jay, Oklahoma resident passed away Monday, January 24, 2011 at St. Francis Hospital in Tulsa, following a sudden illness. Ronald was born on October 21, 1937 in Whittier, California to Lemmi Earl and Vyra (Sturges) Pendergraft. He spent much of his younger life in Colorado working on the family farm and graduated from Olatha High School in 1955. Ronald married Peggy (Harlan) on June 7, 1960 in Gulfport Mississippi at St. Mathews Church. Ronald joined the U.S. Air Force in 1956 to see the world. After they found he had an aptitude for electronics the air force made him an electronics instructor. In June of 1960 Ronald and Peggy moved to Florida and accepted a joint contract between NASA and the U.S. to work for VITRO building the Saturn rocket series of missiles and in 1962 transferred to Hunstville, Alabama to work on the Saturn rocket that would put man on the moon. In 1967 Ronald moved to Oklahoma to ranch cattle and a land development partnership with his brother Jim. Ronald and Jim teamed up again to partner the Bluegrass Festival in Round Springs Park in 1971, which was the first big bluegrass festival in northeastern Oklahoma, featuring artists such as Lester Flatt and Bill Monroe. It was also during this time that he enjoyed camping with his children as well as raising chickens. Ronald became an inspector with Bechtel in June of 1975. helping to supervise and inspect the Trans-Alaskan pipeline between Prudhoe Bay and Fairbanks. Over the next two decades Ronald worked for several major oil and construction companies as both a field engineer and a supervisor. Ronald was proceeded in death by a sister, Judy Hutchison and a grandson Mathew Johnston. Ronald is survived by his wife Peggy, of the home, son, Jim and wife, Joy Pendergraft, daughter, Cynthina Gluffria and significant other, Tommy Gilpin, sister, Ira Sue Mikkelson, and brother James Pendergraft. Ronald is also survived by nine grandchildren and two great grandchildren. Funeral services will be held at Mt. Hermon Church at 2 p.m. on Friday, January 28, 2011. Reverend Brandon McCombs and Reverend James Bryant will officiate. Interment will be at Mose-Ridge Cemetery. A visitation will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, January 27, 2011 at the Worley-Luginbuel Funeral Home in Jay, Oklahoma. Services are under the direction of Worley-Luginbuel Funeral Home, Jay, Oklahoma.

Visitation Details

Thursday, January 27th, 2011 6:00pm - 8:00pm, Worley-Luginbuel Funeral Home - Jay

Service Details

Friday, January 28th, 2011 2:00pm, Mt. Hermon Church

Interment Details

Mose Ridge Cemetery