A celebration of life service for Ralph Watts Roll, 89, will be held January 28, 3 p.m. in the Cornerstone Church of God, 1900 Lexington, Clinton, OK.
Ralph was born on December 31, 1934 to William R. Roll & Claire E (Smith) Roll of Arapaho, OK and passed away Saturday, January 6, 2024 in his Clinton home.
Ralph was raised on the family farm 7 miles NW of Arapaho, OK. His mother died before he turned 3 years old. Bill was both mother, father and breadwinner for his family. Frances, as the oldest child, had a lot of responsibility for her two younger siblings. As a result Ralph gave her the name “Boss.” The kids had a lot of unsupervised time and loved to remember things they got by with. Dinner table talk time in later years resulted in lots of memories with hilarious laughter.
He attended Arapaho schools and enlisted in the U.S. Air Force on July 7, 1954 and served a 2 year stint. He was honorably discharged in 1956 after his father was severely burned in a farm accident and Ralph was needed at home.
He married Lettie J Brown September 22, 1957. They farmed until 1992. He was also a rural mail carrier for 15 years, retiring in 1997. After retirement, they enjoyed several years of traveling and spending time on their property in South Fork, Colorado. They also worked as camp managers for National Forrest Campgrounds.
Ralph loved anything mechani-cal and was able to fix anything he set his mind to, especially if he had some wire, duct tape and pliers. When he was 12 he built a motorized go-cart using a Maytag washing machine motor to propel his little cart. It went downhill and on the level just fine, but had to be pushed up the hills.
He was an active and faithful member of the Cornerstone Church of God, serving on several boards, as church treasurer and wherever needed. He was a member of the Rural Letter Carriers, American Legion, and was on the Arapaho School Board for 15 years. He had the privilege of presenting all three of his children their diplomas. Ralph was proud of serving his country and flew a flag in front of every home he owned. He was a surviving atomic veteran and would often say he would do it again if his country needed him.
He was preceded in death by his mother Claire, when he was 2½ years old, his father and step-mom Ruby (Riber) Roll, his sister Frances Roll.
He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Lettie Roll, two daughters, Melanie (Steve) Black, Melissa (John) Moss, one son, Mark (Melissa) Roll, two sisters, Ardeth Harper and Betty Madison, and numerous nieces and nephews.
He is also survived by 8 grandchildren, Jared (Beth) Black, Travis (Sarah) Black, Taylor Black, Jessica McClung, Amanda (Nathan) McPherson, Joshua (Elly) Roll, Cherokee Moss, John Michael Moss, II. He also has 13 great grandchildren which were his pride and joy.
Ralph will be remembered as a man who loved his God, his wife and family, and loved his country.
In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Cornerstone Church of God, 1900 Lexington, Clinton or Dale K. Graham Veterans Foundation, 1233 W. Lindsay St., Norman, OK 73069.