Area said farewell to community leaders

Ronn Rowland, Muskogee Phoenix, Okla.
·4 min read

Dec. 31—Dignitaries, entrepreneurs, civic leaders...the area lost valuable people in 2022.

From city workers to law enforcement agents to well-known attorneys, Muskogee mourned citizens who made a distinct contribution.

—John Watson, 73, former owner and operator of Economy Pharmacy, died Jan. 8. Watson developed a reputation for giving to the community, particularly to schools. Economy distributed hundreds of backpacks during the past several years from its east and west pharmacy locations to Hilldale and Muskogee elementary students. The backpacks were loaded with basic school supplies.

—Chick Rains, 83, songwriter, died Jan. 21. Rains wrote hits for Reba McEntire and Michael Martin Murphey. Among the most notable of the songs written by the 2008 Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame inductee was "Paradise Knife and Gun Club," which was sung by Roy Clark. He also wrote Mickey Gilley's "Headache Tomorrow (Or a Heartache Tonight)" and Johnny Lee's top-seller, "One in a Million."

—Billy Arnett, 48, musician, died May 12. Arnett played at festivals across the Muskogee area, including Fort Gibson Sweet Corn Festival and Porter Peach Festival. He also played at such community events as the annual Tree of Remembrance ceremony at the Muskogee County Courthouse.

—Tish Callahan, 64, former Muskogee city planning director, died July 7. Callahan died in a house fire along with her husband Rodney, 65. Callahan worked for the City of Muskogee for 26 years, having retired this past February. The Muskogee native started as a secretary with the city, eventually receiving a promotion to assistant city planner in 1999 and serving in that capacity until her appointment in 2019 as planning director.The Callahans were members of The Brick.Church, where their son Jared is a pastor.

—Robert "Bob" Locke, 78, Muskogee attorney, died July 15. A 1961 graduate of Muskogee Central High School, Locke earned his Juris Doctorate from Tulsa University. As an attorney in Muskogee, he became known for representing many clients pro bono. Locke was active in the community, supporting such organizations as Women in Safe Home, WISH.

—Celeste Johnson, civic leader, died July 19. Johnson was founding director of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, served five years on the Muskogee Board of Education, was president of the Muskogee Branch of the NAACP, served on boards for Women in Safe Home, Head Start, MARC, Muskogee Arts Council, Make Muskogee More Beautiful, Mayor's Team Task Force, Muskogee Rehabilitation, Upward Bound, Langston University Cooperative, 4-H and Bacone College.

—Randy Howard, former Muskogee City Councilor, died Aug. 3. Howard was an original member of our Muskogee Martin Luther King Center Trust Authority. "His name is engraved on our cornerstone here at the MLK Center, and his fingerprints are all over the vision of building a community center to serve all of Muskogee," said current executive director and Muskogee Deputy Mayor Derrick Reed.

—Leif Wright, 53, former Muskogee Phoenix news editor, died Aug. 3. Wright was the owner of two Muskogee-based websites: muskogeenow.com and muskogeemugs.com. He started his career with the Phoenix in August 1995, when he was hired as a copy editor. He left in 1996 and returned the following year as a news editor.

—Richard Weatherford, 95, longtime pastor at Pentecostal Holiness Church, died Aug. 15. Weatherford also penned a column for the Muskogee Phoenix until this past January. Weatherford and his wife Pauline first began as evangelists. In 1973, Richard, who was also known as D.J. or Red, and Pauline began pastoring Emmanuel Pentecostal Church in Braggs. They pastored there until 1987.

—Vann David Miller, 87, president of Cross Telephone, died Aug. 26. His son, V. David Miller ll, recalled the impact his father had, not only in Muskogee and Warner, but across Oklahoma. Miller established the Miller Family Foundation, which supported Gospel Rescue Mission, Shriners Children's Hospitals and Kids' Space.

—Hayden Ross, 20, race car driver, died Oct. 6. Ross was an accomplished race car driver with a promising future in the sport. He had just clinched the Sooner Late Model Series championship at the time of his death, a regional circuit where he had won seven times this season.

—Andy Blizzard, 59, former Checotah chief of police, died Dec. 22. Blizzard became chief in 2006 when he filled the post vacated by his predecessor Terry Cossey. Blizzard was considered a mentor and a friend to many in Checotah, including current Checotah Chief Darren Glover. "Man, Andy was my best friend," he said. "I've know him ever since I started and that's been 24 years. I could go to him with any question and he always had the answer — I loved him like a brother."