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Heaven gained an incredible man on Thursday, October 25, 2018. Clyde Ernest Pendergraft, Jr. was born on May 8, 1945 to Clyde Ernest and Martha Irene Slemmer Pendergraft in Wichita, Kansas. He spent much of his childhood in Pond Creek, Oklahoma. At Pond Creek High School he attended Boy's State, was elected as the senior class president, all district football, all conference basketball, played baseball, sang in the choir and played trombone in the band. He graduated from Pond Creek High School in 1963.
He attended the University of Oklahoma in 1963-64. Coming from a small rural town, he was overwhelmed attending OU so in the fall of 1964 he enrolled at Northwestern State College in Alva, OK. While at Northwestern, he was named Intramural Athlete of the Year. That is where he met the love of his life, Sandra Harth. Clyde and Sandra were married in Alva on December 18, 1966 at the First Christian Church.
In May of 1966, Clyde enlisted in the Army Security Agency. He had basic training at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri followed by stints at Fort Devens, MA, Vietnam, and Fort Bragg, NC. Over his four year enlistment, he became a Specialist 6 and received many honors. In Vietnam, he served with the 335th Radio Research Company monitoring communications and saving lives.
In 1969, his son Ricky Dale Pendergraft was born in Fayetteville, NC. He was a loving, giving, caring, protective father to Ricky. Clyde helped coach Ricky's little league baseball team. He also taught him how to be a gentle soul and respect women, as his mother had taught him.
After his service to his country, he returned to Northwestern to finish his education. In August of 1971 he moved his family to Ponca City where his wife got a job teaching mathematics. He continued his education by driving to Alva and back every day. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree, majoring in Social Studies and Physical Education on May 12, 1972.
In the fall of 1973, he started teaching at West Junior High in Ponca City. He taught social studies, coached football, wrestling, and track and taught drivers' education in the summers. He served as the assistant principal for several years but found that he really would rather teach and returned to the classroom. As a teacher, he influenced many lives throughout his lifetime. He helped organize the classroom team system and became an Eagle team teacher. He was elected West Junior High Teacher of the Year and retired from teaching in 1996.
After retirement, he started working for Primerica Financial Services and received a third-place company award for helping people with Long Term Care.
He was a lifetime member of the Retired Oklahoma Education Association, Retired National Education Association, Northwestern Alumni Foundation, Pioneer Genealogical Society, Friends of the Library (serving on the board), and a member of Ponca City AMBUCS where he loved to work motocross events. He served as the president of the Kay County Retired Educators, North Central Area Director, member and elder at First Christian Church, president of the church choir, helped with friendship feast and served on countless committees.
He loved helping others, taking pictures, traveling (to all 50 states, Vietnam, Canada, Mexico, France, Italy, Greek islands, Ephesus, and Venice), dancing, fishing, camping, reading, all sports especially OU, collecting coins, metal detecting, collecting baseball cards, genealogy, and being with friends.
Clyde's soft spirit, gentle soul, and presence will be missed by all those fortunate enough to be his family and friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Clyde and Martha Pendergraft, sister, Mary Irene Pendergraft Hawkins, father-in-law and mother-in-law, Ollie and Frankie Hickey Harth, nieces, Pamela Kay Hawkins Ringdahl, Kristin Jayne Hall, and brother-in-law, Bill Hall of Wichita, KS.
He is survived by his loving wife, Sandy and cherished son, Ricky and wife, Sarah Bennett Pedergraft. He is also survived by his brother, John Pendergraft and wife Darla of Pond Creek, OK, sister-in-law, Barbara Hall of Wichita, KS, brother-in-law, RD Hawkins of Moore, OK, nieces, Michelle Hawkins Hannaman and husband David of Moore, OK, Jamie Hall Gilstrap of Wichita, KS, Rhonda and Janet Pendergraft of Elizabethtown, NC, nephews, Michael Hall and wife Melanie of Belle Plaine, KS, and Robbie Pendergraft and wife Penny of Tulsa, OK, as well as numerous great-nieces and great-nephews he loved dearly and many beautiful friends.
Clyde has donated his body to the OU Medical Center Willed Body program in hopes that it will help find a cure for Lewy Bodies Dementia. A memorial ceremony will be held at 10 am on the morning of Tuesday, October 30, 2018 at First Christian Church of Ponca City with Rev. Glenn Nestlerode officiating. Arrangements are under the direction of Trout Funeral Home & Crematory.
Donations may be made in Clyde's name to the Lewy Body Dementia Association, 912 Killian Hill Road, S.W. Lilburn, GA 30047 or the Ponca City First Christian Church, 210 N. 5th, Ponca City, OK 74601.
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