Obituary of Clifford Rector

Clifford (Tip) Rector, born January 31, 1926 in Christie, OK to Rayburn and Gertrude Rector. Clifford was preceded in death by his wife, Nadine Rector; parents, Rayburn and Gertrude Rector; three brothers, Harold Rector; Benny Rector and Donald Rector; two sisters, Marilyn Leach; and Carol (Tootsie) Trickett. He is survived by his sister, Mary Aitson of Woodward, OK; daughter, Leta Rector of Sapulpa, OK; son, Curtis Rector of Muskogee, OK; son, Daryl Rector and wife Teresa of Sapulpa, OK; and son, Mark Rector of Oklahoma City, OK; 5 grandchildren, Jennifer, Chris, Kim, Amber and Jeremy; and 5 great-grandchildren, Taylor, Julia, Trent, Raegan and Morgan. Clifford served in the US Navy on the USS Laurens and was a WWII Veteran. Clifford was a long time member of the Sapulpa Sertoma Club and a life long Yankee fan. He was a member of the United Association of Plumbers & Pipefitters. He was appointed by Tulsa Mayor James Inhofe to a board that wrote building inspection codes for Tulsa, some of which were adopted as state codes and written into state law. After he completed his military service, he enrolled at Okmulgee State Technical School in 1946 and earned a degree in HVAC. He graduated in 1948 in the first graduating class in the field. His mother was an Original Enrollee with the Cherokee tribe and he grew up on allotment land, the son of a farmer. He married the love of his life, the one thing he loved more than baseball. Clifford gave his life to Jesus Christ on November 11, 1981. He had a sharp wit and a deep love for children. He was a reserved man but lost all inhibitions if there was a child in the room. He was one of four men who planted seed money to build a park in Kiefer which now is the home to one of the biggest and best annual fireworks shows in the state. He will be desperately missed and never, ever forgotten. A service to celebrate his life will be held at 10:00 am Wednesday, October 7, 2015 at the First Baptist Church in Sapulpa. Burial at Green Hill Memorial Gardens will follow. Visitation will be held at the funeral home from 12:00 – 8:00 pm Tuesday. The family has entrusted the services to the directors at Green Hill Funeral Home. 9182242312/www.greenhillok.com