Willie Lee Green Jr., lifelong area resident, was 90 when he passed away six days short of his 91st birthday.
Willie was born the son of Willie Lee Sr. and Frances Louise (Moore) Green on July 6, 1934, in Wann, OK. He grew up in the Timber Hill community near Wann and attended Oak Dale, a country school. Willie learned hard work young, hauling hay and hauling livestock with the King Rodeo crew. Bulldogging was his main event. When the school lost its teacher, he considered himself graduated and went to work. He was a heavy equipment operator and worked all over the country. One of his favorite jobs he liked to talk about was at Notre Dame. He operated the crane while placing HVAC units at the campus.
Willie met and fell in love with Catherine Sue Bishop. They tied the knot in November of 1959 and celebrated 66 years of marriage together. The couple fought hard like cats and dogs, but they loved equally hard, too. For the last 10 years, Catherine had been caring for Bill through his dementia. Together, Bill and Catherine raised three beloved sons and they were further blessed by many grandkids and great-grandkids. He was loved and his boys looked in on him daily making sure his needs were met, especially since Catherine passed on May 26, 2025.
Willie's passions in life centered around racing and junkin'. His racing may have started at the Dewey Speedway, but he raced from Texas to Iowa and everywhere in between. At some point his junkin' got out of control and Catherine had to build a large privacy fence around the back yard so that his S#!T couldn't be seen by the neighbors. Probably Catherine's description would have been a bit more colorful! But most of all he enjoyed getting Catherine all riled up by responding with a "Huh" and smiling when she was yelling at him.
Willie is survived by his three sons, Scott (and Kay) Green, John (and Judy) Green, and Jerry (and Kathy) Green. Other survivors include eight grandchildren, Ryan (and Julie) Green, Dee Ann (and Lewis) Quantie, Tracie (and Trey) Goad, Jenni (and Jeff) Griggs, Cory (and Cassie) Green, Kyler Green, Danyelle Green, and Haley (and Noah) Peaster. He also leaves behind nine great-grandchildren, Bradley, Kelsie, Kaylee, Rani, Evan, Ryker, Nova, Savannah, and Bristol; and siblings, Clarence Green, Mary Jane Head, Sonny Houser, George Houser, Kenny Houser, Mike Houser and Jolly Rohrs. He is preceded in death by his parents, one brother and two sisters.
Willie's family will receive friends on Wednesday, July 2nd from 6-8 p.m., at the Davis Family Funeral Home & Crematory - Walker Brown Chapel, 918-333-7665, 4201 Nowata Rd, Bartlesville. Visitation will also be held on Wednesday from 10-8.
Graveside services will be held on Thursday, July 3rd at 10 a.m., at the Dewey Cemetery. Services are under the direction of Carter Davis and the Davis Family Funeral Home & Crematory - Walker Brown Chapel. Online condolences and remembrances may be shared at www.DavisFamilyFuneralHome.com.
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