Dr. Lowell Dorris Whitlock Jr.

Dr. Lowell Dorris Whitlock Jr., age 92, passed away peacefully on October 25, in Lubbock, Texas, surrounded by his family.

L. D. Whitlock was born on June 8, 1924, in Marlow, Oklahoma to Lowell Dorris and Vera (Huddelston) Whitlock. His family later moved to Fletcher, Oklahoma, where he graduated from high school.

In 1942, he met "the cute new girl in town," Oneta Moore. They were married June 20, 1943, in Pawnee, Oklahoma. They were blessed with four sons: Lowell, Mark, Dougie and David.

L. D. enlisted in the Army Air Force and trained as a navigator on a B-24 Liberator Bomber. After his discharge in 1945, he drove a truck for one year for the Whitlock Oil Company, owned by his father. It was at this time that he made the decision to go into the field of dentistry.

L. D. completed much of his pre-dental education at Oklahoma A&M and was accepted in 1947 at Washington University School of Dentistry in St. Louis, Missouri. At the end of his junior year, he joined the U. S. Air Force. After being commissioned as a Second Lieutenant, he joined the United States Air Force, serving during World War II. He completed his senior year on a salary of $235 a month, which was supplemented by working nights at a hospital and a filling station on weekends.

In 1951, he graduated from Washington University and earned his Doctorate of Dental Sciences. Dr. Whitlock was then assigned to Selfridge AFB in Michigan for his first year with the Air Force Dental Corps. In 1952, he received the rank of captain and was sent to Seoul, Korea. After serving one year in the Korean conflict, he was assigned to Enid AFB and later received his honorable discharge from the Air Force. In 1953, Dr. Whitlock established his dental practice in Altus. He practiced dentistry for almost 60 years, retiring at the "young" age of 86.

Whitlock was a member of the Oklahoma Dental Association and American Dental Association. He served as president of the Southwest Dental Society, Chairman of the Council on Dental Care, and received the President's Award for outstanding contribution. He was inducted into the International College of Dentists and elected a Fellow of the Pierre Fauchard Academy. Dr. Whitlock was elected the 81st president of the Oklahoma Dental Association. Whitlock also served on the Board of Governors for Oklahoma Dentists. This position gave him the opportunity to make decisions regarding the way dentistry is practiced in Oklahoma.

Dr. Whitlock's contributions have not only helped in the betterment of life for many Jackson County residents, but he took his life's calling of dentistry and used it to impact less fortunate people of the world. Dr. Whitlock and his wife Oneta embarked on several dental missionary trips, including Africa, Yemen, India, Dominican Republic, Trinidad, Barbados, and Haiti. All of these trips were made at their own expense.

Dr. Whitlock was very active in the First Baptist Church and his community. He served as chairman of the Deacons, Sunday School superintendent, and was the first director of the bus ministry. He was past president of the Rotary Club and received the Paul Harris Rotary Foundation Award. He was also a member of the American Legion, Chamber of Commerce and a 32nd Degree Mason.

In 2011, L. D. and Oneta moved to Lubbock, Texas, to reside at the Carillon Retirement Center. At the age of 88, L. D. was honored by being chosen to participate in the South Plains Honor Flight of Lubbock, Texas. He was one of 137 veterans of World War II and the Korean War who made the memorable trip to Washington, D. C.

L. D. was proceeded in death by a son Dougie; his parents, Dorris and Vera Whitlock; and a brother, Randy Whitlock.

He is survived by his wife Oneta of 73 years, Lubbock, Texas; three sons, Lowell Whitlock and wife Rebecca of Hesston, Kansas; Mark Whitlock and wife Joy of Altus, Oklahoma; David Whitlock and wife Lori of Lebanon, Kentucky; seven grandchildren, Wende Wayne and husband Peter of Houston, Texas; Tangie McMall and husband Chris of Altus; Stacy Miller and husband Roddrick of Atlanta, Georgia; Brian Whitlock and wife Mandy of Lubbock, Texas; Melanie MacKenzie and husband Morgan of Lubbock, Texas; Madi Walls and husband John of Lebanon, Kentucky; and Harrison Whitlock of Lebanon, Kentucky; a sister, Betty Krouse of St. Louis, Missouri; and a sister-in-law Jackie Whitlock, of Arlington, Texas. Also surviving are 14 great-grandchildren; several nieces and nephews; a multitude of friends and hundreds of former patients.

Funeral services for Dr. Whitlock will be at 10 a.m., Saturday, October 29, 2016, at the First Baptist Church, in Altus, with Dr. David Whitlock and Dr. Jeff Moore officiating. Interment will follow at the Altus City Cemetery under the direction of Lowell-Tims Funeral Home.

The family will greet friends at Lowell-Tims on Friday evening, October 28, 2016, from 6 until 8 p.m. Online tributes may be to the family at www.Lowell-Tims.com.

In lieu of flowers, the family request memorials be made to one of the following in memory of Dr. Whitlock; Joe Arrington Cancer Center, 4101 22nd Place, Lubbock, Texas 79410 or Carillon Foundation, 1717 Norfolk Ave., Lubbock, TX 79410.