Paul Wayne Rooker

Paul W. Rooker, 93, passed away on Sunday, February 16, 2020 in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Viewing and visitation will be held on Tuesday, February 18, from 9am to 8pm with family greeting guests from 6-7pm at Dighton-Marler Funeral Home of Stillwater. Funeral service will be held on Wednesday, February 19 at 10:00am at the First United Methodist Church, 400 W. 7th, Stillwater. Interment will be held at Dale Cemetery in Dale, Oklahoma, at approximately 1:30p.
Paul was born on September 25, 1926 in McLoud, Oklahoma to Fred Lee and Pearl (Price) Rooker. He grew up in McLoud and graduated from Oklahoma Military Academy in 1943. He was in the United States Navy in 1945-46 and attended Oklahoma A&M College, earning a Bachelor’s degree in Animal Husbandry in 1949 then a Master’s in Rural Adult Education in 1961. He married Pauline Vanlandingham on September 5, 1947 in the Stillwater First Methodist Church pastor’s office, while they were students at A&M. He worked for more than thirty years as an Oklahoma County Extension Agent in Choctaw and Pushmataha counties and a school administrator and counselor for McLoud Public Schools, Oklahoma Baptist University, and Gordon Cooper Area Vocational Technical School in Shawnee, OK, all while farming and ranching in the McLoud area.
After retirement from McLoud Public Schools, Paul and Pauline traveled the world … taking trips all over the US, including Alaska twice, and 25+ years wintering in Arizona and summering in Colorado. They also managed to see many countries in Europe and Asia, and loved their trip to Australia and New Zealand.
He is preceded in death by his parents, older brother, Bob, and sister-in-law, Betty Rooker.
He is survived by his children: Keith (Linda) Rooker of Smock, PA; Jill Rooker, Rodney Rooker, Jennifer Rooker Vojtas, and Paula Rooker Russell (Dave) of Stillwater; his grandchildren Kyle (Jen) Rooker of Kenosha, WI; Kevin (Mandy) Rooker of Smock, PA; Ryan Rooker of Shawnee, OK; Amanda (Greg) Hernandez of Yukon, OK; Hayley (Nate) Charlton, of Norman, OK; Kristi (Steve) Kassimer, of Smock, PA; Matt (Kate) Jones, of Coppell, TX; Mason Jones, of OKC; Deborah Vojtas, of San Marcos, TX; and Teresa Vojtas, of Atlanta, GA. He has eight great-grandchildren – Jonathan Rooker of Ada, OK, Piper and Kendall Rooker of Kenosha, Cohen and Wyatt Kassimer and Sadie Jo Rooker of Smock, and Patsy and Wade Jones of Coppell. He is also survived by his siblings Howard (Peggy) Rooker of McLoud and Betty (Byron) Behring of Enid, and multiple in-laws and nieces and nephews.
Memorial contributions may be made in his name to either the First United Methodist Church, Stillwater, OK or First United Methodist Church, McLoud, OK c/o Dighton-Marler Funeral Home, 5106 N. Washington St., Stillwater, OK 74075.