F. Lavell Chisum

Finis Lavell Chisum, 98. Of McAlester, known affectionately as Lavell to his friends and family, passed away on Wednesday, May 7, 2025.
Cremation arrangements are entrusted to Chaney Harkins Funeral Home. A celebration of life will be at a later date.
Lavell was born on August 25, 1926, in Mangum, Oklahoma to Earl Daniel Chisum and Josephine Pearl (White) Chisum. Lavell married Lura Mae (Habeck) on March 18, 1945, in Carter, Oklahoma, with whom he raised four sons. A resident of Claremore, Oklahoma for most of his life, he also spent time in Alabama and other southern states before homesteading during the 1950s in Alaska, where he embraced new adventures and experiences. While homesteading, he met a life-long friend in Hipper Spurlin and traveled many places with him on motorcycles.
He loved rodeos. Lavell and Lura Mae produced many rodeos in Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi. He was also a bareback bronc and bull rider.
While in Alaska, experience in repairing collision damaged cars and building hand-hewn log houses miles from the nearest neighbor, that two ideas were developed into machines that he later manufactured and sold. The first was the Chisum EZ Liner, a machine used to straighten collision damaged vehicles, and the Chisum Log Mill, a machine that prepares raw logs to a uniform size and shape that are used to build log homes.
A true visionary, Lavell was an inventor with over 20 patents. His ingenuity and hard work led him to own and operate his own business, where he applied his talents to the world of auto collision repair, log home construction and the over-the-road trucking industry. His commitment to excellence continued with the founding of Prodigy Advance Repair Technology in 1993, a venture that he later moved to McAlester in 1995 to further develop new ideas for the collision repair industry. The legacy of the impact Lavell had on the collision repair industry continues to this day by Chief Industries producing the EZ Liner, and friends and business associates Kevin Lombard and Greg Marion. Kevin is producing the Chisum Workhorse frame machines with his Chisum-USA company, and Greg is taking the original repair technology behind the EZ Liner and refining it with the Multiple Automotive Realignment Process and his MARP Engineering company.
In addition to his work in the automotive field, Lavell was known as a jack of all trades. His diverse interests led him to own Beaver Log Homes in Claremore, where he applied his craftsmanship to create beautiful and enduring structures. Lavell's hands were rarely still, as he was always seeking new projects and challenges to tackle Lavell had many accomplishments, including being named the Oklahoma Bar Association Inventor of the Year in 1982. He was also a WWII US Navy veteran, and a Christian.
Lavell's legacy is one of creativity, perseverance, and a relentless pursuit of knowledge. He was a man who never stopped learning and never stopped building. His memory will continue to be a beacon of inspiration for all who had the pleasure of knowing him. Lavell survived by his sons, Tony Chisum and his wife, Chris of Oologah, Tom Chisum of McAlester, Todd Chisum and his wife, Julie of Claremore, and Travis Chisum of McAlester; grandchildren, Kristi, Karen, Joe, Stormy, Tyler and Trevor; numerous great-grandchildren; along with numerous other family members and friends.
Lavell is preceded in death by his parents, Earl D. Chisum and Josephine P. (White) Chisum; his wife, Lura Mae Chisum; a granddaughter, Patricia McClish and brothers Donal and Bill.