Lee Streetman

To honor Lee, please wear your brightest orange to his memorial service.

"Long Story Short"

November 12, 1947 – February 11, 2026

OKLAHOMA CITY - Harold Lee Streetman, known to everyone as Lee, passed away on February 11 at the age of 78, surrounded by his family.

Lee was born on November 12, 1947, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, to Phyllis Dale Streetman. He was raised by his grandparents, Maude Omer and Edgar Allen Phillips. He attended John Marshall High School, where he got his start in journalism as sports editor of The Advocate.

He went on to Oklahoma State University, earning a Bachelor of Science in Journalism in May 1970. At OSU, he worked his way up from freshman reporter to Sports Editor of the Daily O'Collegian. He served as President of the OSU chapter of the Sigma Delta Chi Professional Journalistic Society, where he helped inaugurate the chapter's first women members. He remained a devoted OSU Cowboys fan for all of his days.

Lee served in the U.S. Army Reserve during the Vietnam War, where he rose to the rank of Staff Sergeant. He graduated with honors from the U.S. Department of Defense Information School at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana, where he received the Golden Quill Award as editor of the Quill and Scroll newspaper. He served with the 95th Division, 4003rd U.S. Army Garrison in Midwest City, Oklahoma, and edited the award-winning unit newsletter, The Shaft. Though he never saw combat, the war marked him deeply. Many of his high school classmates and college friends did not come home, and he carried that awareness, and their memory, for the rest of his life.

His civilian career in journalism spanned more than three decades. He began as a summer intern at the Daily Oklahoman, then worked as a reporter at the Oklahoma City Times, covering the police beat and high school football. He spent four years as a writer and photographer in the University of Oklahoma's Media Information Office before joining Oklahoma Farmers Union in October 1978, where he would remain for twenty-six years.

At OFU, Lee did a little of everything. He started as Managing Editor and Public Relations Director, building the communications department and publishing the Oklahoma Farmers Union Farm News & Views newspaper. He served as Education and Youth Director, youth camp director, cabin counselor, and photographer. He wrote the internal employee newsletter, which he titled Farmers Union News, i.e. FUN. He judged speech contests and 4-H Roundups, lobbied in Washington, emceed retirement receptions, chaired United Way campaigns, organized blood drives, and once judged the Oklahoma Dairy Princess Contest. He was recognized with the Congressional Action Committee Award for his lobbying work, an Honorary State FFA Degree, and the Oklahoma Blood Institute's "Life Saver" Award. In 1992, he chaperoned an agricultural student exchange trip to Kyoto, Japan, a trip he never stopped telling his family stories about. He retired in July 2004, leaving behind an organization full of people who had loved working with him.

Lee was an avid reader, a skilled writer, and a beloved storyteller. He was charming, funny, and had the knack of leaving his audience never quite sure what he was going to say next. His passions were wide-ranging and fiercely held: John Wayne westerns and Clive Cussler novels, the Civil War, Three Dog Night and Motown, Laurel and Hardy, the Marx Brothers, and the Three Stooges. He shared his passions with his children, especially his favorite movies: The Blues Brothers, Animal House, Caddyshack, and Christmas Vacation, as well as many silent movies and almost anything on TCM. He was known for his wild bidding in pitch, his sense of humor that could light up a room, and a willingness to coach anything that needed it: Little League baseball, youth soccer, and slow-pitch softball.

Above all, Lee loved his family. He started dating Janet Oliphant on February 19, 1966. On February 26, 1971, they were married sparking a love and partnership that spanned nearly sixty years. He was a wonderful father and a proud "Grampy" and "Papa" who adored his grandchildren. He also loved every dog that ever crossed his path.

He was preceded in death by his mother, Phyllis Whitney; grandparents Maude Omer and Edgar Allen Phillips; brother Jack Garrison; great aunts Mabe, Winnie, Dale and Virgil; and great uncles Arthur and Otis.

He is survived by his wife Janet Streetman; his son, Kyle Streetman; his daughter and son-in-law, Erin and Christipher Honious; and five grandchildren: Millison Streetman, Iselle Streetman, Emerett Streetman, Evelyn Honious, and Arthur Honious; as well as his sister Gay Ann Russell and husband Denzell; his brother Gary Garrison and wife Cathy, his sister Ruth Ann Malear; his brother-in-law Dr. Sam Oliphant and wife Tina; multiple nieces and nephews and a wide circle of friends and colleagues who were always glad to see him coming.

Service to be held on February 20, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. Central Time.

Located at:

Buchanan Funeral Service

8712 N. Council Road

Oklahoma City, OK 73132

Phone: (405) 722-5262

To honor his memory, consider donating to the Humane Society, Disabled American Veterans, and the American Red Cross serving central and southwest Oklahoma.