Gordon Lewis Romine

Gordon Lewis Romine died peacefully in the early morning of Labor Day September 4, 2023 at the age of 95 years old, in Tulsa. He is now reunited with his beloved bride Jane, who preceded him in death this January 2023, as well as their first-born, Dennis Romine, who passed away in February 2021. Gordon had a big personality. He never lost his sense of humor, and he will be missed by all who knew him. Gordon is survived by his brother, Thomas Gerald "Jere" Romine of Dallas, son Patrick Romine of Tulsa, daughter Maggie Romine of Tulsa, son Tim Romine and spouse Kristin Romine of Dallas, and daughter Karolyn Hall and spouse Clayton Hall, grandchildren Annevieve Mason, Corbin Hall, Nicholas Romine, Claire Romine, Dariya Romine, Luba Romine, and great grandchildren Traeton Mason, Raelynn Mason, and Sonny Romine. Gordon was born May 4, 1928 at Springs Hospital in Enid, Oklahoma to Charles Gordon "Pappy" Romine and Annevieve Lewis Romine. Gordon's father was born in a sod house on a claim that Gordon's grandfather had homesteaded in the Cherokee Strip land run of 1893. His grandfather was run off his claim by a Sooner armed with a shotgun, but then he came back two years later and bought a man off the claim. Two of Gordon's uncles were also born in the sod house. Gordon liked to say that like his father and grandfather, whenever he hears about Sooners in Norman, he thinks, "Why doesn't someone arrest them?". Gordon was affectionately known by his nickname Sonny by everyone who grew up with him in Enid and still to this day. He said his father gave him that name at birth because he was so bright. Gordon graduated from St. Joseph Catholic High School as class President in 1946. His senior yearbook shows he was voted "Most Witty" in his graduating class, and that he was. While in high school, Gordon worked in a print shop in Enid and his employer Otis Phillips gave him an inspiring talk about the importance of continuing education after high school. Gordon learned that by enlisting in one of the US armed services before October 1, 1946, he would be entitled to full benefits of the GI Bill. After graduation from high school and a summer road trip with the family to Massachusetts, Gordon and his best friend Joe Fiegener enlisted with the US Marine Corps, one day before the final deadline. Gordon said he had his heart set on joining the Marines since he was thirteen years old. With the war already over, Gordon was assigned to the Marine Garrison Forces Pacific. Gordon was discharged from the Marines in September 1948 and, within a week, he and his friend Joe Fiegener both enlisted in the Marines Inactive Reserves as they were told that would ensure that if another war broke out, they couldn't be drafted into the Army. Gordon attended Rockhurst Liberal College in Kansas City, Missouri during the spring semester of 1949, then transferred to the University of Tulsa to study Petroleum Engineering for the Fall 1949 semester. He had read in the TU catalog that no Petroleum Engineering graduate had ever gone without a job for more than four weeks. Though he said at that time he had no idea what a Petroleum Engineer did. In June 1950, shortly before Gordon was to start the 1950-51 school year at TU, the Northern Korean Peoples Army invaded South Korea and in October 1950 Gordon was recalled by the Marines. Gordon said that because he wasn't assigned to a rifle company, he didn't have any big stories to tell about Korea. Regardless of that, anyone who knew Gordon knew how meaningful it was for him to be a Marine and to have been part of the US response to the Korean War. His honor to serve as a Marine was one his proudest achievements and he never missed an opportunity to remind his family of these anniversaries or salute a fellow Marine when he saw one. After returning to school at TU, one day at the Student Union, according to Gordon he held the door open for "a very attractive young lady", and for this act of chivalry she agreed to go on a date with him. The young lady was Jane Steil from Tulsa. Gordon and Jane had their first date on Valentines Day and after graduation married on July 31, 1954 and were together for the next 70 years. Gordon started working for Lion Oil Company and he and Jane moved to El Dorado, Arkansas where Gordon would begin work as an Engineer Trainee with assignments such as roustabouting and rough necking in Arkansas, Louisiana, and West Texas. After the training program was completed, Gordon and Jane relocated to Gordon's next assigned destination, Snyder, Texas. Their first son Dennis William was born in Snyder, Texas in September 1955. They were living in a company house in the middle of an oil field and this is where Jane, the beautiful sorority girl, killed her first rattlesnake with a shovel. Their second son Patrick Gordon was born in Snyder in June 1957. In 1958, Gordon resigned from Lion Oil Company and was hired by Keplinger & Wanenmacher and Jane and Gordon moved back to Tulsa. Gordon and Jane's first daughter Maggie [Margaret Ann] was born in May 1959. Third son Timothy Edward was born in November 1960 and second daughter Karolyn Marie was born in August 1964. One of Gordon's closest and most influential friends in his life was Guenther [Kenneth] Renberg. Gordon's mother Annevieve worked for Herzberg's Department Store in Enid Square as a bookkeeper and credit manager. In 1938 Mrs. Herzberg's nephew Guenther Renberg came from Germany to live with the Herzbergs. Guenther became a regular guest of Gordon's family and Gordon's father took him to his first baseball game. Eventually Mrs. Herzberg and her relatives brought about twenty family members to the US to escape Nazi Germany. Guenther finished school in Enid and joined the Army and participated in the Allied Invasion at Omaha Beach in Normandy on D Day. In 1959, Kenneth Renberg joined Lee Keeling and Associates, a Petroleum Consulting Firm. On a visit back to Enid, he ran into Annevieve at the local diner where she let him know that Gordon had just started working as a Petroleum Engineer. Kenneth gave her his card and suggested Gordon give him a call. He did and Gordon was hired to work for Lee Keeling and Associates. His career with Lee Keeling & Associates was another proud achievement for him and in 2016, he retired as President at the age of 88.5 years old. He once said of Lee and Kenneth [the other two owners] "they do the heavy lifting and are so smart they scare me" and he was "afraid they'll figure out I am not in their league". He never gave himself credit for being the one who would fact check dates and figures. Jane and Gordon, now with five kids, purchased Jane's dream house in the Maple Ridge neighborhood of Tulsa. The kids would go to neighborhood Lee Elementary (now Council Oak), Marquette Catholic School, and Bishop Kelly High School. All three sons Dennis, Patrick, and Tim graduated from Booker T Washington High School, Maggie and Karolyn graduated from Bishop Kelly. Even though his career kept him very busy with frequent travel, Gordon found time to serve as Scoutmaster for Christ The King Church / Marquette School's Troop 34 from the 1960's to 1970's. To this day, men from his troop comment that his humor and wisdom helped to shape their lives and careers in the most positive ways. Gordon was always willing to step in and serve his community, as President of Petroleum Club, Treasurer for the Sophian Plaza and Mayor and Treasurer of Port Pleasure at their Grand Lake HOA. He made friends wherever he went, even on his daily runs on the River Park where he met fellow avid readers and joined their book club. Gordon and Jane were members of Christ The King Catholic Church where they were married. They renewed their vows for their 50th wedding anniversary in 2004, followed by the wedding reception and wedding cake they never got to have, when they were married at Gilcrease Museum where Jane worked as a docent, surrounded by 100 of their closest friends and family. Gordon was a history buff, so the bookshelves of the den were filled with history books, many about the US Civil War. In the 1970's Gordon became part owner of a travel trailer, and the family spent vacations in the trailer traveling to see Civil War battlefields in Vicksburg, Mississippi and Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and the Chalmette battlefield near New Orleans, where the pirate Jean Lafite assisted the US with repelling the British forces in the War of 1812. The family also toured plantations in the South, which they found very interesting. They traveled to Washington DC and toured the US Capitol Building and saw the Watergate hearings happening live, at the time the hearings were in the news every day. The trips were lots of fun times for the family and the siblings still have fun reminiscing about them. In 1987 Jane and Gordon, with kids all grown up, moved to the historic Sophian Plaza near downtown Tulsa and Riverside Drive. They had purchased the corner apartment, with views of the river, and gutted and renovated it and it was quite stunning. Jane was a gifted interior designer and could make anything she touched more beautiful and stylish. Although the large house in Maple Ridge where they grew up was missed, the times spent together at the newer Sophian home were very special. Jane's ultimate wisdom would convince Gordon to eventually move to Inverness Village, now Covenant Living at Inverness, in Tulsa in 2011. Jane and Gordon needed the access to care available at Inverness as they were now in their golden years. To the kids growing up, Gordon was a character with a big personality and sense of humor. He liked to sing, although just around the house. He was a big fan of John Wayne. Gordon was very sharp and had a quick wit and loved making people laugh. One time on a trip in the station wagon, maybe on the way back to Tulsa from a day trip to Arkansas, they stopped at a roadside antique store so Jane could go in and browse. Only Jane went in the store, while the rest of the family stayed in the car. To entertain himself and the family, Gordon started driving around the gravel parking lot doing fishtails (donuts) in the station wagon. It was shocking, but also very funny. Gordon was an honorable man and did the right thing his entire life, serving his family, his bride and his God. We will miss Gordon so much. Visitation will be 4 PM until the 5 PM Rosary, on Thursday, September 14th, at Fitzgerald Ivy Chapel, 14th and South Boulder Avenue. Funeral Mass will be Friday, September 15th, 10 AM, at Christ the King Church. Fitzgerald Ivy Chapel, 918-585-1151

Gordon Lewis Romine

May 4, 1928 - September 4, 2023