Paul Hefty

Paul Milton Hefty 94, a long time resident of Dewey and Bartlesville and a former county commissioner died Friday July 27, 2008 in the Jane Phillips Medical Center. Paul was born to Walter J. and Rose E. (Schadt) Hefty on a farm north of Valley Falls, Kansas on December 26, 1913. He received his elementary education in a one room rural school, riding a horse to and from school. Paul graduated from Valley Falls High School in 1931 and then farmed with his father for three years. He attended Emporia State College for one year and became an eighth grade one room school teacher for 27 students. Paul attended Kansas State University for three years graduating with a bachelor's degree and honors in Mechanical Engineering. He ran the two mile in track, was voted into Phi Kappa Phi, Sigma Tau, and Steel Ring Honorary Scholastic Societies. He started working for Phillips Petroleum Company in 1939 and married Iris Ellen Moore the same year. He advanced to supervising construction engineer in 1963. Through his career he and Iris moved between Bartlesville and Texas four times, Canada, England, and Belgium while he worked on the refinery and pipeline construction. After 38 years of service to Phillips, Paul retired in 1977. He and Iris worked on the construction of the Dewey United Methodist Church for two years. Paul served as the District One County Commissioner for four years during that time he replaced 26 unsafe bridges around Copan Lake. He has planted and maintained a five acre bird sanctuary in Bartlesville City Park, maintained two roadside beautifications, and tree plantings. Paul carried the Olympic torch in Bartlesville in 1984 on its way to be carried in all the states. He was a past committee member of the 66 Federal Credit Union Loan Committee and the Supervisory Committee. Paul was a board member of the Family Crisis and Counseling Center, a Washington County alliance for the mentally challenged. He organized the Bartlesville Area Friends of the Parks, was a NRA certified firearms safety instructor. Paul was very active in his church, he was teacher and youth counselor, he was a certified lay speaker, he was on the Oklahoma Conference Board of church and Society and the Oklahoma Annual Conference. Paul was one of the founders of the National Rifle Associations' Wildlife, shooter and police training complex near Raton, New Mexico. He was a life member of the American Forestry Association, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, National Rifle Association and the Santa Fe Gun Club of Raton. He received the outstanding citizen award form the Bartlesville Chamber of Commerce; he worked 32,000 hours as a hospital volunteer. Singing was his joy, he arranged for special music three out of the four Sundays every month, he was part of the choir singing solos, duets, and quartets. He was in the Camp Egan Men's Camp Quartet and enjoyed singing with the Bartlesville Area Community Singers. Paul is survived by his wife Iris, two daughters Coleen Saylor of Eldorado Hills, CA., and Rosalind Price and her husband Gary of Olathe, KS., Five grandchildren, fourteen great grandchildren, two sisters Ruth McKibben of Monroe, Ohio, and Lois Fowler of Topeka, KS., numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and a host of friends. He was preceded in death by two brothers, Russell and Glenn Hefty. Memorial services are scheduled for 10:00 a.m. Thursday July 3, 2008 at the Dewey United Methodist Church with Rev. Rick Robert and Rev. Don Simpson officiating. Arrangements are under the direction of Neekamp-Luginbuel Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions can be made to the Oklahoma-Arkansas Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association.

Service Details

Thursday, July 3rd, 2008 10:00am, Dewey United Methodist Church