Thomas "Tom" Allen Ogburn Obituary (1928 - 2019)

Thomas Allen "Ozzie" Ogburn, Junior, was called home by the Lord on July 29, 2019. Tom was born in Prague Oklahoma on November 15, 1928 to Tom Sr. and Minnie Luna Belle (Harper) Ogburn. He lived in Prague with his family which included 7 brothers and 3 sisters. From a young age, Tom was a handful! He had a free spirit and a strong will and rarely sat still long enough to let the dust settle. He was a very handsome young man and he knew it! A Beautiful girl caught his eye one day in 1948 and both of their lives changed forever. He saved up a long time to buy a ring for this young girl named Letha Pearl Christy. On the day he proposed to her, he put the ring in the glove compartment of his car and asked her to reach inside to get something out, and of course she found the ring. Tom and Letha were married on July 2, 1949 in Arkansas but made their home in Oklahoma City where they had four children, Janice Lee, Allen Clark, Judith Ann, and Nancy Sue. Tom's work took him to Modesto California in 1959. The family loved the California sun, vineyards and a host of family members who also lived there but after the death of Letha's father in 1960, the family packed up all of their belongings, including the four kids and a cat, loaded up their turquoise and white 1957 station wagon and drove across the desert, headed for Oklahoma. The only stops they made were to eat fried chicken that Letha had made and to sleep when the sun went down (in the desert). The females slept in the car while Tom and Allen slept on the hood of the car. Tom and Letha had a way of making everything an adventure. The family settled in Oklahoma where they raised their children. Tom was an avid hunter and fisherman and every weekend in the summer the family was at the lake where all of the kids learned to water ski at an early age and learned that camping meant sleeping in a tent and eating hotdogs that occasionally had sand in them, but it was always fun. Each year Tom, Leatha and many family members traveled to Pagosa Springs Colorado to deer hunt where, once again, the family, and their poodles, slept in tents despite blizzards and 4 foot snow drifts. In 1986, Tom's business transferred him to Arkansas so, with the children grown and out of the house, he and Letha decided to move to Lincoln Arkansas and find new adventures there, which they did. On weekends they went antiquing and took many road trips to Mississippi and along the gulf coast. Some of their best stories were about their time spent in Louisiana and Mississippi. They both love the deep South. Tom and his brother, Ernest, had an auction business on the side and when they weren't traveling they were having auctions. Tom was one heck of an auctioneer! By 2007 Tom and Letha were ready to retire and slow things down a little bit so they decided to move back home to Sand Springs but still, for a few more years, they traveled around to auctions and flea markets. They lived out their lives in their home in Sand Springs until the Lord called Letha home on February 18, 2019. Soon after, Tom moved in with his granddaughter and spent his final days surrounded by family. Tom was preceded in death by his beloved wife Letha Pearl (Christy) Ogburn, his father Thomas Allen Ogburn, Sr., his mother Minnie Luna Belle Ogburn, 7 brothers and 3 sisters, and a granddaughter, Andrea Hudson. Tom is survived and loved deeply by his children: Jan Ingram and husband Chris of Lincoln, Arkansas; son Allen Ogburn of Houston and wife Carol; daughter Judy Gunckle of Sand Springs Oklahoma; daughter Nancy Endecott of Sand Springs Oklahoma. He is survived and cherished by nine beautiful grandchildren: Christi (Hudson) Richardson of Nashville; Shelli (Hudson) Jones and husband Justin of Tulsa; David Ogburn and wife Janet of Florida; Daniel Ogburn of Florida; Cory Gunckel of Sand Springs; Jennifer (Gunckel) Hollingshead of Mannford; Dee Dee (Endecott) Liebenau and husband Chuck of Stillwater; Keri (Endecott) Little of Sand Springs; Chad Endecott and wife Sarah of Sand Springs. Tom and Letha had 17 great grandchildren and a host of family members that they loved dearly. Tom was the leader of his family, the way it should be. He taught his children honesty, trust, and integrity and there was never any question about what would happen if they crossed the line. He made sure his family was in church every single Sunday and most Wednesdays. He saw each of his children, and many of his grandchildren, baptized. As Tom's health began to fail, he and Letha could no longer attend church but they watched church programs every single Sunday. Tom loved gospel music and he loved the Lord. Tom will forever be missed by his children and grandchildren but he is with Letha now, which is where he wanted to be. They were together 70 years and when he lost her in February 2019 his children knew it wouldn't be long before he joined her in Heaven where they could be together to dance and praise the Lord for all eternity.