James Allen Ticer

1931 - 2021

James Allen Ticer

Former Cities Service and Suburban Propane senior leader, James Allen Ticer of Tulsa passed Halloween evening at Saint Francis Hospital. Living independently at 90, Ticer had been trying to recover for nearly a month after a traumatic fall at his Midtown Tulsa home. He passed peacefully with a son at his side.

Jim Ticer was an ROTC graduate of Oklahoma State University, then went on to become an Air Force pilot, flying C-47 Skytrains, or so-called "Gooney Bird" transport planes. In the Air Force, he also helped design and install the nation's first air traffic control system and towers.

Beginning with Cities Service, Ticer then worked in leadership positions for more than 30 years in the natural gas liquids industry. He worked at Cities Service for more than 15 years in engineering, planning and development, plant operations, and supply and distribution throughout Oklahoma and west Texas. He then joined Suburban Propane, and rose to lead its Tulsa-based, multi-state operations, procuring and marketing natural gas liquids in Texas and New Mexico. Ticer was a "deal guy" one of his cohorts once explained, and exited the industry after serving in the Los Angeles headquarters of MCO Holdings, a NGL liquids producer and marketer. Not done yet, he moved back to Tulsa, switched careers to retail management, retiring after 10 years as a consumer electronics department manager.

Born in a one room home between Yale and Stillwater in 1931, Ticer lived for more than 50 years in Midtown Tulsa. He was the only son of Edna and Henry Ticer, first went to school in Oklahoma. But just before World War II, the family of three moved to San Diego, California, where his father worked in military plants building airplanes. He was a star football player at his high school in San Diego. His family moved to Stillwater after the War, his parents set up shop as Ticer's Studios, the town photographers, and Jim went to college.

He made sure people knew he was an Oklahoma A&M (OSU) graduate, and held a Bachelor's degree in chemical engineering. He was a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. He was a star singer in an award-winning barbershop quartet. In Stillwater, he met and married his first wife, Barbara Puckett (Shaffer), who died in New York in 2005.

He is survived by his two sons from his first wife, Mark Ticer, in Dallas, and Scott Ticer in Erie, PA. Jim is also survived by his former wife, Joni Ticer, and her two children. Treating his stepchildren as his own, Butch Martin lives in Eureka Springs and Joi Martin Wall lives here in Tulsa. He is survived, too, by his longtime girlfriend, Susanne Braddy; Mark's wife, Meloney Perry Ticer; and Scott's wife, Joyce Montigny.

Jim is survived by his grandchildren, John Ticer, Adrienne Ticer, Aubrey Ticer, Grayson Ticer and Marshall Ticer. He always considered his other grandchildren as his own, including Jordan Matlock, Alex Martin, Lauren Wall, Jessica Perry and Sarah Perry.

A ceremony for family and close friends will be held Saturday, November 13, at the Boston Avenue Methodist Church in Tulsa at 10:30 a.m. in the Rose Chapel. Any friends are welcome to attend a social gathering immediately following the ceremony, about 11:30 in the morning. The family requests we all respect the current pandemic rules of the Church: Please wear a mask, if you are not fully vaccinated from Covid-19.