Dr. Tony Stretesky

 DR. TONY STRETESKY 1939-2025  A remarkable life… Dr. Tony Stretesky was born on the family dairy farm in the winter of 1939, near Tipton, Oklahoma.   He lived a full life & died peacefully in Dallas, Texas with his wife and daughter by his side at 86 years old. Tony was the third of four children of Frank and Rosie Stretesky, first generation Czechs in America.  As a young man, he raised pigs, and showed calves at the fair.  He was high-achieving in Future Farmers of America (FFA), leaving little time for sports or anything else.  He was a routine Award-winner in FFA and State Competitions.  Further, his family was well-known for their wheat and cotton awards, while running The Stretesky Dairy in southwest Oklahoma.Ardmore for nearly 45 years.  Once settled in Ardmore, they Tony gained his work ethic on the farm and learned at an early age he wanted to be a white collar guy.  This led him to college in 1957, first to Cameron Junior College in Lawton, then transferring to The University of Oklahoma in 1959 where he earned a BS in Engineering Physics and Masters in Electrical Engineering the following year. Before transferring to OU, he fell in love.  He and Jeannie, who he met at Tipton Junior High, when he was in 7th Grade, became a serious couple and later married on September 3rd, 1961, celebrating their 64th Wedding Anniversary just two months before his passing. Tony’s first job led the newlyweds to Dallas for LTV (Ling-TemcoVought), as an aerospace engineer, where they stayed briefly.  One day, Tony met a friend at the pool, who was working for NASA.  The friendship led to Tony helping his friend solve a rocket launch problem, which led to an immediate new contract job offer with NASA, based at Langley Air Force base in Virginia.  He was active in his career during the time that depicted Langley in the historical film Hidden Figures. Tony said, “Those ladies were real smart, but the bathrooms were not segregated.”  At Langley, Tony was responsible for keeping the experiments linked together as the nose cone of the rocket re-entered earth’s atmosphere.  He and Jeannie witnessed many launches, their returns and orbits around our solar system, together. After many years as a rocket-scientist in his first career, Tony gained interest in his friend’s career as a dentist.  He grew tired of his ideas being accredited to supervisors, and felt the space program lacked longevity, so he started night school to achieve basic requirements to apply to dental school.  After 2 years of night school, he was accepted to dental school and began full-time at The Medical College of Virginia while Jeannie was entrusted with full Security Clearance, working for the U.S. Government. During four intense years of studies, the couple had their first-born, Susan, who grew up with Tony in the dental lab.  In 1976, he graduated with a Doctor of Dental Surgery, and then continued his education to become an expert in Orthodontics, gaining a specialty degree.  To start his new career in orthodontics, Tony & Jeannie decided to return to their Oklahoma roots and open a practice serving the Ardmore community beginning in 1978. They took out loans, bought equipment, rented office space and got on-the-job-training of becoming small business owners.  They employed a small staff, grew the practice and built their life in expanded their family with their second daughter, Kelli. During Tony’s evolution as an orthodontist, he used his precision engineering skills measuring torque, angles and more on a light board by hand, modernizing his career as a specialist modifying the computer-generated Invisalign.  Throughout his career, he volunteered to teach Orthodontics at The University of Oklahoma’s (OU) Health Sciences Center, ultimately ending his career as a tenured Professor, beloved by his students, of 42 years.  During his parallel time in private practice, he traveled to Pauls Valley with his Staff to serve their community as an adjunct practice.  He regularly attended national and international conferences where he often spoke and was recognized for his expertise in temporal mandibular joint (TMJ) problems, as well as interesting and challenging case presentations.  He was respected by his contemporaries, as a Board Certified Orthodontist, and Board Certified in Pain management.  He was a member of many professional organizations including The American Association of Orthodontists (AAO), Southwest Society, and Texas Tweed Society (now known as the Texas Orthodontic Study Club or TOSC), an elite group of orthodontists where collaboration occurred on the most difficult cases in clinical practices.  Tony was respected for his creativity in designing custom appliances to resolve clinical problems, which were replicated by peers, presented at national conferences and acknowledged by the head faculty at OU Health Sciences Center.  Tony’s name is published in numerous textbooks and publications. He built an incredible team and office culture with his late office manager, Teresa Pelton, whose legacy lived on through Stretesky Orthodontics with a loyal staff who celebrated “Dr. T’s” 85th Birthday in Dallas, TX. Tony loved his Staff and patients and his work so much, he did not retire until he was nearly 83 years old!  Once retired, he and Jeannie spent more time in Dallas to be with their daughter Susan and her late husband, Jake Williams, during Tony’s final years.  On his 64th Wedding Anniversary, he went to the Frontiers of Flight Museum with Jeannie, where he climbed the steps to his Shuttle, and flashed his famous Stretesky Smile. Tony will be remembered for the many smiles and lives he changed.  His friends and family will remember him often as the quietest, butbrightest mind in the room.  He loved his profession as an orthodontist and felt he could truly transform their lives with a smile. Tony was a living legacy to those who knew him best.  He was a loyal, loving and affectionate husband to his wife, and to his daughters was a kind, compassionate mentor about the ways of the world.  While work was his hobby, he has some of his best memories with his closest friends skiing the mountains of Colorado, he and Jeannie dancing with their Two Left Feet friends & Rotary, where he was a recipient of the prestigious Paul Harris Fellow for putting “service above self.”  Tony will be remembered for his dry sense of humor, love for people and purpose-driven life. Dr. Stretesky is survived by his wife, Jeannie, daughter, Susan Stretesky Williams of Dallas, TX, daughter, Kelli Stretesky of Champagne, IL and sister-in-law, Judy Pecinovsky of Tulsa, OK, along with nieces and a nephew who adored him. Following his burial, we Honor the Life of Dr. Tony Stretesky at 2 o’clock on Wednesday, November 19th, 2025 in the year of our Lord, at First Methodist Church across from Central Park in Ardmore, OK, with David Daniels officiating, and reception to follow. September 3, 2025 Once a rocket-scientist, always a rocket-scientist.