Clergy Family

Harwood Rowe

Rev. Harwood Slate "Dick" Rowe, 83, of Sulphur died Feb. 2, 2011.

Service was Feb. 10 at Sulphur UMC.

He was born Aug. 26, 1927, in Elk City. He married Stella Mae LaFever on March 1, 1953, in Roosevelt.

Rev. Rowe officially retired in 1990, after a long ministry career. His first appointment was at Lone Wolf. He also served at Hammon, Felt, Quinlan, Rosston/Gate/Knowles, Tulsa-Ball Memorial, Lenapah/South Coffeyville, Rush Springs, Snyder/Mountain Park, Blair/Martha, Velma, Wilson/Lone Grove, Sulphur-First, Orlando/Mulhall, Wakita/Manchester, Hinton, Texhoma, Waynoka, Tipton, Glencoe, and Haworth.

He donated his time making gates for church camps and crosses for Velma, Mulhall, Sulphur, and other communities. He also built a parsonage at Felt.

Survivors include daughter Beatrice Webb of Velma; sons Harwood Rowe Jr. of Montgomery, Ala., George Rowe of Guthrie, and Charles Rowe of Sulphur; eight grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his wife, in 2008.

Ralph Radcliff

Rev. Ralph Dale Radcliff, 84, of Enid died Feb. 11, 2011.

Graveside service was Feb. 17 at Memorial Park Cemetery in Tulsa.

Ralph was born May 11, 1926, in Winfield, Kan. He served in the Navy during World War II and worked in the grocery business. He married Evelyn Alhke on Jan. 23, 1949.

God called him into ministry in 1979. In the 1980s, he pastored at Okmulgee-Butler and Inola churches before officially retiring in 1988.

Survivors include his wife of 62 years; three children, Kenneth Radcliff of Gore, Nancy Major of Douglas, and Ralph Radcliff Jr. of Harrah; five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

Robert Hill

Rev. Robert Harvey Hill, 86, of Cookson died Feb. 19, 2011. Memorial service was Feb. 25 at Gore UMC.

Robert was born Nov. 18, 1924, in Tulsa. A U.S. Marine, he was wounded in action during World War II. He married Pauline Ogle on June 14, 1946. His first career was in music education.

He then studied at Perkins School of Theology. His ministry in Oklahoma began in 1955, and he served Warner/Porum, Muskogee-Lakeland Heights, Vian/Gore, and Duncan-St. Paul’s. He then ministered in Bolivia and Saudi Arabia. He officially retired in 1992.

Survivors include his wife of almost 65 years; children Kathye Osborne of Lubbock, Texas, Martha Carter of Branson, Mo., and R. David Hill of Southwest City, Mo.; seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Peg Whytlaw

Margaret "Peg" Whytlaw, 97, of Northfield, Minn., died Jan, 27, 2011. She was the widow of Rev. Edward Louis Whytlaw, who died in 1987.

Service was Jan. 31 at Northfield UMC.

Peg was born Nov. 12, 1913, on Staten Island, N.Y. The Whytlaws married on Oct. 8, 1938, in New York City. Her work career included teaching nursery school and market research. Rev. Whytlaw retired in Oklahoma in 1978, and the couple moved to Northfield.

She was active in community activities throughout her life. In 1989, she was the first recipient of the Mary Wood Community Service Award.

Survivors include daughters Merrell Thornton of Northfield and Elizabeth Betebenner of Joplin, Mo.; son Jim Whytlaw of Springfield, Mo.; five grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

Betty Saviers

Betty Lee Saviers, 78, of Eufaula died Feb. 12, 2011. She was the wife of Rev. Charles Saviers, who is serving Alderson UMC and the Eufaula Lake Ministry.

Service was Feb. 16 at McAlester-First UMC.

Betty was born March 24, 1932, in Oklahoma City. At Stillwater High School, she was the first female to letter in two sports. On July 3, 1980, she married Rev. Saviers, who was pastor at Eufaula at the time.

She was an active church member.

Survivors include her husband; five children, Allen Saviers of Sapulpa, Elizabeth Ellis of Denison, Texas, Dale Saviers of Seattle, Darr Oney and Trish McCall, both of Dallas; and a grandchild. She was predeceased by her first husband, Leon Oney, in 1976.

• Shawn Bell, 21, of Edmond died Feb. 18. His foster parents were David Nichols and Rev. Tish Malloy, senior pastor at Moore-First.

• John Gober Sr. of Del City died Feb. 8, 2011. He was the father of Rev. John Gober Jr., chaplain at Good Shepherd Hospice in Del City.