Olen Russell “O.B.” Baker
A celebration of the life of Olen Russell “O.B.” Baker, 68, will be at 1 p.m. Friday in the Broadway Heights Baptist Church in Clinton, officiated by Rev. Dolan Ivey.
Interment will follow at the Sentinel Cemetery. Baker died early Monday, Feb. 9, 2015, in his Arapaho home. He was born Dec. 14, 1946 in Clinton, the son of Hinton Clark Baker and Mary Eleanor “Nellie” (Welch) Baker.
He was raised in Butler, where he graduated from high school in 1965. He was married to Cheryl Ann Spires from 1967 - 1981. During his early career, he was employed with Pittsburgh Des Moines Steel Company and traveled extensively building water towers across the country.
In 1971, they settled in Elk City.
Over the next 40 years, he made his career in the oilfield, working his way up from roughneck to consultant. He worked from boom to bust and back to boom in locations all over the world, primarily for Parker Drilling.
On May 23, 2003, Baker married the love of his life, Avene Farris. They made a home in northwest Arapaho.
Preceding him in death were his parents, Hinton and “Nellie” Baker; three brothers and two sisters, Gladys Lillian “Sis” Blackbird, Jimmie Jeff Baker, Roy Earl Baker, Homer Glen Baker and Marsha Marlene Poeling.
Survivors include his wife, Avene, of the home; a son, Jeff Baker, of Elk City; daughters, J.J. Stallcup and her husband, Jack, of Haughton, La., Julie McGee and her husband, Justin, of Amarillo, Texas; brothers, Hinton Ray Baker of Leedey, Bryant Eugene Baker and his wife, Teddi, of Newalla, Kenneth Dale Baker and his wife, Gerri, of Hammon, Rex Arlan Baker and his wife, Ginger, of Butler, Danny Mike Baker and his wife, Sharon, of Elk City; sisters, Opal Pauline Martin of Del City, Evelyn Jewell Upchurch of Yukon, Lucille Maxine Kelley of Oklahoma City, Vinita Jolene Gillis of Sanford, N.C., and Vera Kay “Sally” Stout and her husband, Keith, of Hammon; four grandsons, Cole Stallcup, Cade Stallcup, of Haughton, La., Riley McGee and Connor McGee, of Amarillo, Texas.
Arrangements are under the direction of the Kiesau-Lee Funeral Home in Clinton.