Dr. Stephen Ralph Travis

Dr. Stephen “Steve” Travis died November 4, 2023 after a short battle with cancer. Steve had an interesting and varied career path. He graduated from Classen High School in Oklahoma City a semester early in 1979 and enlisted in the 12th Special Forces Group of the Army Reserve. At 17, he went off to Basic Training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri for basic training then Fort Sam Houston, Texas for medical training, Fort Benning, Georgia for paratroop training, and finally, Fort Bragg, North Carolina for Special Forces Training and specialized training as a Special Forces medic.

He went on to Ranger School and several specialized paratroop courses to become a jump master, to HALO (high altitude, low opening training) and high altitude, high opening training. Along the way, he enrolled at Oklahoma State University to major in a pre-veterinary course in Animal Husbandry and later veterinary school. He did so because he was inspired by a veterinarian who taught in the Special Medic program, who happened to be from Western Oklahoma. He later worked summers for that veterinarian.

At vet school, he met and married Denise Trosper, a fellow vet student. They both graduated from OSU as vets. They ended up working in Texas, Steve treating racehorses and Denise at Baylor Medical Center with a team doing medical transplantation of pig organs in humans. Steve met the MD members of her team and was attracted to human medicine.

While he lived in Texas, the first Gulf War occurred. The Army asked Special Forces medics to volunteer for active duty. Steve volunteered and participated in the first Gulf war in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Iraq. He later participated in a program in Northern Iraq to protect Kurdish people from Sadam Hussein.

In a fit of patriotism, the Texas Legislature passed a statute granting free tuition to any Texas resident who participated in the Gulf War. Steve accepted and went to medical school in Texas. He reasoned that he liked, and was good at, the practice of medicine. He loved veterinary medicine but was frustrated that the only people who could afford the really good medical skills he had were rich people who owned racehorses.

Steve graduated and found a program at the OU Medical School which attracted him. It was the “Med-Peds” residency program. Graduates of the program were eligible to become “double-boarded” in internal medicine and pediatrics. The result would be a specialist who could provide specialty medical skills to the whole family. He thrived in the program.

He went to Guthrie and worked for the County Hospital program in Guthrie and Crescent until Mercy Hospital took over those hospitals. He then came to the OU Medical School as a clinical teacher. There, he taught residents who were treating patients as a part of their training. He loved the work and thrived.

Steve remained in the Reserve. When the 12th Special Forces Group disbanded, he transferred to the 19th Special Forces Group of the Utah National Guard. Steve received his commission as a medical doctor and became a Battalion Surgeon and later Group Surgeon.

He was activated and deployed frequently in Special Forces. After 9/11, his battalion was sent to Afghanistan. He was particularly well-suited to that mission. He and the medics of the battalion put on clinics to help treat the Afghan civilians’ children. They found that, after putting on the clinics, the people would tell the soldiers where they were likely to be ambushed. That didn’t happen in other locations.

Steve was sent to other places most people have never heard of where there is war. He did a six-month tour on the island of Mindanao, in the Philippines opposing a Muslim insurgency based in nearby Indonesia. He did a tour in the Balkans with an aviation battalion which needed a flight surgeon. He also went to teach medics in places like Cambodia and Bangladesh and several tours in Korea.

Tragically, Denise predeceased him in 2019, also due to cancer. He was also predeceased by his mother, Bobby Jean Kay and both sets of grandparents. Steve is survived by Malinda Daniels, his loving companion who cared for him until his death; her mother, Sharon Goode, Malinda’s brother Tim Goode (wife, Tiffany), and her sons, Michael Daniels (wife, Katy and their girls), and Tyler Daniels. He is also survived by his father, Rex Travis, his stepmother, Patricia Travis; his siblings Michael (Mike) Travis, Margaret Travis (husband, Billy Ellis), Mary Travis (companion, Dustin Selby), and Chris Travis (wife, Brandi) and Steve’s lovely, nieces and nephew, Liz Crane, Jacob Crane, Sophia Travis and Savannah Travis. Steve is also survived by his Army comrades and OUHSC Family.

We would like to extend a special thank you to the health care professionals at the Stephenson Cancer Center and the OUSHC Critical Care Unit for all their care and support.

Contributions in lieu of flowers are suggested to the American Cancer Society at donate.cancer.org, or an honorarium to be established at the OUHSC.

Memorial services for Dr. Travis will be held, Sunday November 12, 2023 at 2:00 PM at Baggerley Funeral Home Chapel, 930 S. Broadway Edmond, OK 73034

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.baggerley.com for the Travis family.