1926 – 2013 William Haden “Bill” Haworth Jr., 86, of Ft. Gibson, Oklahoma, died Sunday, September 1, 2013, at St. John Medical Center in Tulsa. He was born to William Haden “Hade” and Fannie (Anderson) Haworth, the fourth of five children, on November 26, 1926. He grew up in the Ft. Gibson bottoms near the Arkansas River, in the heart of Cherokee allotment land. He attended nearby Georgetown School and graduated from Fort Gibson High School, where he played a competitive game of basketball in his youth. For the past 35-plus years, the Georgetown Schoolhouse complex was his home. He lived in the caretaker’s house, and where the school once stood, he built an office that was also rumored to be the site of spontaneous poker games. A World War II Veteran, Bill enlisted in the Army in 1945, and served in the Pacific Theatre until he was honorably discharged in 1949 during demobilization. Specially trained as a sharpshooter, he spent much of his time as chauffeur for the Staff General, visiting dignitaries and USO Troupe members. He loved to describe transporting actor John Wayne around the Big Island of Hawaii and eventually worked for Wayne following his discharge. At 21 years old, he was the youngest member ever elected to the Oklahoma State House of Representatives. While serving in the House, he attended Northeastern State College in Tahlequah and received a law degree from the University of Oklahoma. He served 10 years in the in the Lower House, serving on numerous committees and holding such positions as Floor Leader and Minority Whip. He also spent one term in the State Senate, beginning in 1962. After the Senate, he and his brother, John, operated The Haworth Company, an insurance, real estate and investment firm. He later became Presiding District Judge, well-known for the political power he wielded throughout the entire state and, ultimately, for the political friends and enemies he made. He was elected and served as Judge from 1972 through 1977. He practiced law for over sixty years. He loved the law, politics, ranching, business, boating, his animals and a good game of cards. Bill had been a member of the Cattlemen’s Association, Wagoner County Farm Bureau, Bedouin Shrine Temple and was a 32nd degree Mason. He was preceded in death by his parents; three brothers, Buford, John and Warren; one sister, Marie; sons, Kelly Vandever Haworth and William Haden Haworth III; first wife, Garalene Vandever Haworth and second wife, Etta “Dutch” Haworth. He is survived by: his daughter, Leisha Vandever Haworth of Muskogee; son, Vincent A. Glass and his wife, Sheri; grandson, Logan Glass and step-grandson, Connor Burt, all of Yukon; granddaughter, Darrah Vandever Haworth and great-grandson William Haden Weidenbacher of Tulsa; granddaughter, Haden Bria Haworth of Dallas; step-son, Eddie Glass, wife Shelly, and grandsons, Tyler, Taylor and Tanner of Edmond; step-son, Allen Glass, wife Natalie, and grandsons, Tristan and Carson of Edmond; nieces, Margaret Haden Verble of Kentucky and Carol Haworth Bentley of Muskogee; nephew, John William Haworth of Manhattan; and sisters-in-law, Jane Haworth and Barbara Haworth, both of Muskogee. Funeral service will be 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, September 11, 2013, at St. Paul United Methodist Church in Muskogee with Rev. Mark Jardine officiating. Honorary Pallbearers will be Mike Norman, Ronnie Boswell, Mark Martin, Larry Rainbolt, Bruce Sewell, John Lauderdale, Orvil Loge, and Willie Keifer. Friends may wish to remember Bill by making memorials to the Tulsa Affiliate of Susan G. Komen, Attn: Donor Services, 5110 S. Yale Ave., Ste. 415, Tulsa, OK 74135; American Heart Association, Memorial & Tribute Processing Center, P.O. Box 1653, Topeka, KS 66601-1653; PAWS, P.O. Box 1525, Muskogee, OK 74402; or your local or favorite animal rescue organization. Funeral service arrangements are under the direction of Foster-Petering Funeral Home. Condolences to the family may be made at www.foster-petering.com www.foster-petering.com This obituary was published in the Tulsa World on 9/10/2013.
Paid Obituaries
Piguet Nora Yvetta Rudd Piguet went to be with her Lord and Savior on September 14, 2013 from her home in Owasso, Oklahoma at the age of 86.
87 of Tulsa, left this earth Saturday, September 14, 2013.
