Roger Odell Standridge

Roger Odell Standridge was born July 18, 1949, to Odell (Perch) and Mary Lou Standridge at Hominy, Oklahoma. His family moved to Bartlesville where he attended Washington and Jane Phillips Elementary schools, Central Junior High, and graduated from College High School in 1967. He joined the Marine Corps upon graduation and served a tour of combat duty in Vietnam in January 1968 as a crew member on the 105 Howitzer. He arrived just in time for the Tet Offensive by the North Vietnamese and Vietnam Cong. He was attached to the 5th Marine Regiment for three weeks before he got with E Company 211th, which was part of the 2nd Battalion, 11th Marine regiment and participated in the battle of Hue. Later in 1968 he was injured when the howitzer being airlifted by a helicopter was dropped, bounced and landed on his ankle. He was sent to Japan for surgery and then sent to Corpus Christie, Texas for rehabilitation.
In 1970 he completed his 3 years of service and in 1971 he attended Southwest Assembly of God College in Waxahachie, Texas before moving to Wooster, Massachusetts in 1973 for a year. In 1974-75 he went to the University of Oklahoma and never missed a Texas vs OU game in Dallas sitting in the stands. He then transferred to Oklahoma State University in Stillwater in January1976 and completed his degree in Education in 1977.
He taught school in Enid, Yukon, and Tulsa. The courses included geography, social studies and wood shop. During the summers he often travelled the country, visiting eight of his Vietnam buddies who experienced the war with him. He would normally travel 5,000 miles with 8 hours a day of travel and traveling to every corner of the country, returning home in August. He would take along the Oklahoma flag he carried throughout his six month stint in Vietnam, camping part of the trip and staying with his friends the rest of the time. His trips included Yellowstone, the Black Hills, and almost every city with a Major League Baseball team.
After retirement, he lived in Bernice by Grand Lake for a few years before moving home to Bartlesville in the late 1990s because his health was failing and he wasn't sure how long he would live. Of course he lasted another 25 years and these were the years that his nieces, nephews and great nieces and nephews would remember as the greatest of times. He was Uncle Rog, a real life Uncle Buck if you can remember that movie. He supported everyone of these young kids as they grew older and his kindness and generosity was evident in their lives. Many were in need of money, or candy or a visit to the Dollar store or a visit to Chuckee Cheese, or the annual bingo game close to Thanksgiving for kids only with a number of prizes and gifts, or a ride home from school with a stop at either Sonic or Brahms, or a night at the Kiddie Park with all the tickets you need as well snow cones and cotton candy, or money for church camp or a youth trip or an overseas mission trip or some past due bills that they needed help on or a college bill that they could use some help on or a car payment. As you can see, this uncle went way beyond the typical uncle, he was more a grandfather than an uncle. He may have never had kids of his own but these nieces and nephews were his pride and joy.
He is preceded in death by his father Odell Standridge and a beloved nephew Randy Standridge.
He is survived by his mother, Mary Lou Standridge; his three brothers, Phil and Connie Standridge of Bartlesville, Rick and Susan Standridge of Bartlesville, and Randy and Connie Standridge of Bartlesville; and numerous nephews, nieces, great nephews and great nieces as well as cousins, aunts and uncles.
A memorial will be held at Spirit Church in Bartlesville on Saturday, February 18th at 1 pm with Pastor Jason Fullerton officiating. Formal visitation with the family will be from 4-6 pm on Friday, February 17th at Stumpff Funeral Home.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the building fund at:
Spirit Church
2121 S. Madison Blvd.
Bartlesville, OK 74006