Willard Gene Boone

Willard G Boone departed this earth on Thursday, February 26, and was welcomed into Heaven by his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He was born to Paul and Thelma Boone on December 13, 1947, in Stillwater, OK. As a child, his family lived in several towns in OK, settling in Tulsa when he was in the 3rd grade. He completed high school there, then received his BS in accounting at Tulsa University.

Faith and the church played a major role in Willard's life. At the age of 9 he asked Jesus to forgive him of his sins and be his Savior. This commitment impacted his life in many keyways. He taught the Bible to a wide range of ages in Sunday School through the years beginning when he was in high school. In the 8th grade, he attended a youth rally at Valley View Baptist Church in Tulsa. Sharon Spohn was also in attendance at the rally. He asked her to sit by him that night. Through the years he often commented, "She has been sitting by me ever since." Sweethearts through junior high and high school, Willard and Sharon were married in 1967.

Upon graduating college, he moved his wife and newborn son, Brian Willard, to Houston where Willard began his career working for Shell Oil. In Houston, they had their second son, Britton Wade. While there, Willard earned his CPA certification. After three years, they moved to Choctaw to be closer to family, and he took a job with Apco Oil. Four years later, the company sold. He then bought a small tax and insurance business in Choctaw, opening his own CPA practice in 1975.

He became the auditor for several small municipalities, including Choctaw, along with several neighboring school districts. His practice grew and he chose to sell the audit portion and focus on taxes and bookkeeping. Also, during this time, he brought the Becker CPA Review Course to Oklahoma City. This was the first time that this national preparatory course had entered a small market. Through the years, Willard helped this review course train thousands of CPAs as it entered other small and mid-size markets as well as several international sites.

While Willard was passionate about helping young accountants in their development, he was even more committed to helping families improve their financial management philosophy and practice. Using the Financial Peace Course in the church and other settings, he helped to impact on the lives of more than 600 families over the last 20 years of his life.

Willard was preceded in death by his parents, Paul Thelbert and Thelma Caprice Boone, his brothers, Merlin Lee and Philip Daniel Boone. He leaves behind his loving wife, Sharon Boone, of 58+ years; his two sons Brian and wife, Paige; as well as Brit and wife, Astrid Boone. In one of his favorite roles, Willard was Poppa to his grandchildren, Hannah; Nathan and wife, McKenna; Joy; and Natalie Boone. He is also survived by his brother, Paul T., Jr. and wife, Sue Boone.

A viewing will be held Sunday, March 1st from 1:00pm to 7:00pm at Barnes Friederich Pope Funeral Home Midwest City.

Services will be held at First Baptist Church Choctaw on Monday, March 2nd at 1:30 pm. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Oklahoma Baptist Homes for Children where Willard previously served on the Board of Directors.