O.C. "Cotton" Furnish Obituary (1926

O.C. "Cotton" Furnish, 88, passed away Sunday, June 22nd, 2014 at the Memorial Hospital of Texas County. The son of Dora Ella (Rice) and Vere D. Furnish, O.C. Furnish was born June 6, 1926 in Dewey County, near Putnam, Oklahoma. Cotton attended area country schools and was always sweet on this little neighbor girl. He married that neighbor girl, Velma June Smith, on November 15, 1948 in Stratford, Texas. Cotton and June moved from Taloga, OK to Texas County where Cotton began his career at Hitch Ranch, retiring as Ranch Foreman in 1991. Cotton raised his family out at the ranch and taught them the value of hard work and a gentleman's handshake. Always his best friend and helpmate, June fed the Hitch cowboys and took care of their family. With a hard-work ethic and lots of practice, Cotton excelled at all things cowboy. He won the National Feedlot Team Roping in 1982 with header, Whimp Gilbert. Cotton has been honored and inducted into the Living Legends and the Oldtimer's Group. Cotton and June moved into Guymon in 1991 and Cotton was a member of First Baptist Church. He is survived by his bride of 66 years, June Furnish; daughter, Lyndell Lindsey and husband, Mike; two sons, Bing Furnish and wife, Roxane; and Rick Furnish and wife, Valerie; his sister, Betty Gentry; all of Guymon; sister-in-law, JoAnn Schantz of Atlanta, GA; brothers-in-law, Gale Smith and wife, Lucy of Edmond, OK; and Gerald Smith and wife, Jean of North Carolina. He was the much adored "Pa" or "Hat Pa" to his 7 grandchildren, Joe Mike and Leigh Lindsay, Shea and Isaac Krier; Brett and Heidi Furnish, Jacob and Megan Furnish, Jordan Furnish, all of Guymon; Beau Furnish of Enid, OK and Breanne Furnish of Dallas, TX; 16 great grandchildren, Kaysha, Katie Jo, Joseph Michael, and Jack Edward Lindsay; Shelby, Spencer and Sutton Redcorn; Jonah and Sophie Krier; Bryson, Rylee and Evan Furnish; Claire, Cooper and Colten Furnish. Family friends, Read Barby and Rooster Dawson, will officiate at a private burial at Elmhurst Cemetery. Memorial services will be Thursday afternoon, June 26th, 2:00 PM at First Baptist Church, 2201 N Lelia, Guymon, with Re v. Michael Carter. The Furnish family will receive friends on Wednesday evening, 6-8:00 PM at Henson-Novak Funeral Directors, 501 NW Fifth, Guymon. Memorials may be sent in lieu of flowers to the OPSU Furnish Family Scholarship, c/o Henson-Novak Funeral Directors, P.O. Box 1306, Guymon, OK 73942.