Oklahoma Cemeteries Website
Click
here
to break out of frames
This information is available for free.
If you paid money for a
subscription to get to this site, demand a refund.
William Nance "Bill"
Doggett, Jr.
Sep 2, 1936 - Jul 16, 2017
Posted by: Ann Weber
BARTLESVILLE
EXAMINER-ENTERPRISE
BARTLESVILLE, WASHINGTON CO, OK
(permission granted)
William Nance "Bill" Doggett, Jr. was born on
September 2, 1936, the only child of William
Nance Doggett, Sr. and Marian Bartley Doggett in
Morristown, TN. He passed away on July 16th,
2017, in Bartlesville OK.
After living in Oak Ridge during WW II, Bill's
parents moved to Knoxville, where Bill attended
junior high and high school, graduating in 1954.
As he grew up, Bill became active in the Boy
Scouts, attaining the rank of Eagle, and was a
member of the Order of The Arrow. He attended
the National Jamboree in Valley Forge PA in
1950, and Philmont Scout Ranch NM in 1953.
Growing up near the mountains of East Tennessee,
Bill became an active hiker. Along with friends
he covered many miles of trails in the Smokies
and surrounding mountains, as well as the
Appalachian Trail in several states.
Bill attended the University of Tennessee as an
engineering co-op student, alternating college
at UT with work at an aircraft company near
Baltimore, MD. In the fall of 1957 he and close
hiking friend John Sherrod hitch-hiked across
the US and Canada, as far as Fairbanks, Alaska
and back, covering more than 12,000 miles. They
saw much beautiful country and met many
interesting and informative people. During the
trip they spent a couple of weeks working on an
oil drilling rig in Wyoming.
On returning, Bill resumed his engineering
studies at UT and graduated with honors in June
1960. Experiences on the hitch-hiking trip
convinced him that he would likely desire some
outdoor work and travel in any future
employment. After numerous contacts and
interviews, he chose to accept a job at Phillips
Petroleum Co.
Bill began his work with Phillips on a
seismograph exploration crew working in New
Mexico and Texas. The crew was searching for
oil, and while they never found any, Bill struck
"gold" in a small town in west Texas. He and
Mary Lou Benavidez were subsequently married on
May 21, 1961 in Sanderson, TX. Shortly after
their marriage, Bill was transferred to a crew
working in Kansas and Nebraska.
This was quite a change, but Bill was able to
learn a lot more about running a crew, thanks to
the Observer that he was working under. He put
Bill to work actually doing things that an
Observer has to know. He was an excellent
teacher and guided Bill along, and gradually let
him run the crew. Within a year Bill was
promoted to the position of Observer, operating
the recording equipment and directing the
recording crew.
In September of 1962 Mary Lou gave birth to
their son, Jesse Bartley Doggett, in Pratt, KS,
just before the crew was moved to McComb, MS.
Bill worked in Louisiana and Mississippi until
May 1963, and was then transferred to the
Geophysical Lab in Bartlesville, OK.
At the Lab he worked with other engineers -
designing, modifying, and testing equipment used
in seismic exploration. In 1969 the Lab and all
but one of the field crews were shut down. Bill
remained and continued monitoring contract
crews, and later became involved in testing
radio navigation and positioning systems, and
helped develop the OPSEIS radio telemetry system
for recording seismic data. This system
eliminated the need for miles of cables and
greatly improved data quality.
Early in 1966 he and Mary Lou purchased an older
home in Bartlesville. They made extensive
improvements, added a couple of decks and other
outdoor amenities. They also restored numerous
pieces of antique furniture. In time their
garage became a well-equipped woodworking shop,
and their home became a very comfortable and
pleasant place.
Bill retired from Phillips in 1988. He and Mary
Lou had a rich life together, and raised a son
to be proud of. They had many friends, with whom
they played card games, dominos, and especially
croquet. His travels spanned southern Florida to
western Alaska, southern California to
northeastern Canada - within 400 miles of the
North Pole. Overseas he visited London, Egypt
and Aruba. He and Mary Lou also travelled and,
over time, reached 45 states plus Canada and
Mexico.
In March of 1997 Bill began having severe
chronic headaches. He was treated by five
different doctors, including two headache
specialists. None of the treatments were
effective - the only relief was pain
medications. In addition, he began having
breathing difficulties - this was diagnosed as
Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis - cause unknown.
There was no treatment. The IPF continued to
worsen until his death.
Bill was preceded in death by his parents
William Nance Doggett, Sr and Marion Frances;
uncles Robert Samuel "Pup" Doggett and wife
Annie Kate; Charles Alvin "Ab" Doggett and wife
Mabel; and Jack Nelson Doggett and wife Allie
Pearl; mother-in-law Andrea Benavidez and
sister-in-law Rosa Picaso.
He was survived by
Mary Lou and by his son Jesse Bartley Doggett
and wife Mary Ann, grandson Jeremiah Ian
Doggett, favorite cousin Nancy Doggett Pell;
brothers-in-law, Serapio Picaso and John
Benavidez and Alice Peņa.
The viewings will be held July 19th-21st 9:00
a.m. - 5:00 p.m., July 22nd 9:00 a.m. - 8:00
p.m., and July 23nd 1:00-6:00 p.m. with friends
and family visitation starting at 4:00 p.m. at
Arnold Moore and Neekamp Funeral Home, 710 S.
Dewey Ave., Bartlesville OK.
Services will be
held on Monday, July 24th, 10:00 a.m. at the
First Presbyterian Church, 505 S. Dewey Ave.
Interment will immediately follow at Memorial
Park Cemetery, 4200 Nowata Road.
There will be a
reception afterwards at the First Presbyterian
Church.
In lieu of flowers, William requested donations
be made to the Boys Scouts of America.
Arrangements are under the direction of the
Arnold Moore & Neekamp Funeral Home. Online
condolences may be left at
www.honoringmemories.com.
Arnold Moore & Neekamp Funeral Home
710 Southeast Dewey
Bartlesville,
OK
74003
918-336-5225
|Memorial Park Cemetery | |Washington County Cemeteries| |Home|
This site may be freely linked, but not duplicated in any way without consent.
All rights reserved! Commercial use of material within this site is prohibited!
© 2000-2024 Oklahoma Cemeteries
The information on this site is provided free for the purpose of researching your genealogy. This material may be freely used by non-commercial entities, for your own research, as long as this message remains on all copied material. The information contained in this site may not be copied to any other site without written "snail-mail" permission. If you wish to have a copy of a donor's material, you must have their permission. All information found on these pages is under copyright of Oklahoma Cemeteries. This is to protect any and all information donated. The original submitter or source of the information will retain their copyright. Unless otherwise stated, any donated material is given to Oklahoma Cemeteries to make it available online. This material will always be available at no cost, it will always remain free to the researcher.
