Eugene L. Harrison

Eugene (Gene) Lee Harrison, cherished husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and friend passed away peacefully after a three-week stay at Saint Francis Hospital in Tulsa, on Tuesday, November 28th, 2023. He was 84. Gene was born November 5, 1939, in Houston, Texas, the only child of Eugene L. Harrison Sr. and Nancy Prewett. After the death of his father in June 1949, Gene and his mother moved to Giddings, Texas. He lived with his grandmother as a teenager and enjoyed playing football, hunting, and just being an east Texas boy. As classmates at Giddings High School, Gene courted his future wife of 65 years, Delta (Betsy) Koslan and both were elected as Class Favorites of the Senior Class of 1958. They would marry soon after graduation in October of 1958. In May 1959, their daughter Anna was born, followed in 1962 by their first son Eugene L. Harrison III (Trey). Their second son, John, was born in Tulsa in 1977. Gene and Delta began their married life in Houston and Giddings as Gene traveled extensively with the San Francisco Rail Company. In 1962, Gene found a calling in sales and marketing, working for a dozen years as a sales representative for Gerber Baby Food, starting in Texas, and then to Tulsa in 1974. Soon after, Gene and Delta began their first business, Mid-America Construction and Supply, where Gene worked retail sales while Delta ran the office. They would join with United Siding Supply in the late 1970's. After a very successful run as business owners, Gene and Delta sold the company and retired in early 1996. However, Gene was not done working by any stretch. In 1998, he purchased a 1200-acre ranch near Pawhuska, Oklahoma (Harrison Cattle Company) where he built a second home and raised cattle for nearly twenty years. It was the fulfillment of his childhood dream and he truly loved his time on the ranch. Gene was a strong yet humble patriarch, a man with commanding presence, self-confidence, and determination who earned universal respect as a businessman, cattle rancher, neighbor, and friend. He was an avid gun collector and enjoyed outdoor sports, hunting, fishing, and golf, as well as watching his favorite sports teams, the Dallas Cowboys and Texas Longhorns. Behind Gene's indomitable spirit and strong personality was a gentle and playful man with an unyielding devotion to his family. Gene is preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his wife, Delta, one daughter Anna and two sons, Trey and John, all of Tulsa. Five grandchildren, Zachary Robinson, Chase Robinson, Brittany Ritchey, Payton Harrison, and Luke Harrison and two step-grandchildren, Kevin Miller and Stephanie Trail. Gene also leaves behind six great grandchildren and step-great grandchildren, Renley Robinson, Brooks and Brynlee Ritchey, Audrey and Isla Trail, and Andy Miller. He is also survived by several sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, and many friends. A funeral service in his honor will be held, Saturday, December 2, 2023 at 10:30 a.m. at Grace Lutheran Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma. His body will be laid to rest at Memorial Park Cemetery following the service at Grace. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent in Gene's name to the Lutheran Hour Ministries at www.lhm.org.

Eugene L. Harrison

November 5, 1939 - November 28, 2023