George Underwood
October 29, 2009
Brother George Underwood passed away last Thursday morning, October 29th. He was born on June 20th, to Aaron Leo and Cora Elsie (Long) Underwood. George was born in Newport, Arkansas, but it wasn’t long until the family moved Monett, Missouri, and for a short time in Arizona before relocating to Blackwell. George grew up mostly in Blackwell, and going to school there, but in his last year High School, George attended and graduated from Newkirk. He immediately went into the U.S. Navy to help fight
When he returned from the war, he resettled into the Blackwell community and for a while worked for Atlas Glass. Then he found employment at the Conoco refinery in Ponca City and during that time he met Bettie Jean Cox. They dated, then married on October 30th, 1946. The Lord blessed them with one child, a son, Carl Dean, but while still just a young child, he fell victim to a disease untreatable at the time. George and Bettie purchased a home where George lived the remainder of his life.
George retired from Conoco but continued to be active with things around the church and his hobbies of fishing and gardening. For years George helped Olen Havens with the sound system, and after Olen’s death, he made sure that the system and equipment were always ready for each service.
He was preceded in death by his parents and by both brothers: Benjamin Franklin Underwood and Otis Eugene Underwood. He also lost his wife Bettie in 1998, and their three year old son many years ago. He is survived by a brother-in-law, John Cox of Ponca City, and by a sister-in-Law, Cheryl Hines of Flower Mound, Texas, and by a number of nephews and nieces. In addition to these members of his family, he will also be missed greatly by his church family at Hartford Avenue. George had a way about him that made it easy for people to love him. He was always helping folks who were in need and he was the kind of person that was a true friend.
Memorial donations are encouraged in George’s name to the Ponca City Hospice, or the Westview Boys Home in Hollis, Ok.
