Woody Shelton Oliver

On behalf of the family, it’s with great sadness that we want to let all of you know that our dad Woody has gone home to the Lord and to his beloved wife of 54 years Mary Frances Oliver (who passed away in 2020).

Woody is survived by his 2 sons Jason and Chad, daughters-in-laws Nicole and Tomo. His youngest sister Barbara and his nephews and nieces.

Woody was born on November 26, 1936, but his birthday was often celebrated on November 27th as well, due to his being born on the Oliver family farm just on the outskirts of Madill, Oklahoma and there was some confusion/discussion as to what the “real” date was. Dad was born the 3rd child to Zimmery Shelton Oliver and Jewel Woody Oliver. Dad was named Woody after his mother’s maiden name and always had to correct people that it wasn’t short for Woodrow. He was raised, most of his childhood, by his grandmother Alice Gill Oliver as well as his Aunt Katherine (Oliver) Coleman.

Dad had 2 older sisters that were major influences during his entire life, Dorthy and Katie. Dorthy was 20 years older than dad, and Katie was 10 years older than dad. And let me tell you, those 2 women were major forces on this earth and were unstoppable and unshakable when it came to how things needed to get done in this world. But that’s a whole other story for another time. Dad also has a surviving sister Barbara* who is 10 years younger than Dad and who he loved so very much, as any older brother would love a baby sister. (*side note: my love of Elvis Presley directly comes from Aunt Barbara. But again, another story, another time.)

Woody was a graduate of Madill High School in 1955 and attended Jr College at Murray State in Tishomingo, OK before attending and graduating with a degree in English from Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant, OK.

Between 1955 and 1960 dad served in the Oklahoma National Guard, 45th Infantry Division (Thunderbirds). While reaching the rank at several points during his service, as a sergeant, he would then just as quickly be demoted back down the ranks and then once again raised to the rank of sergeant several times during his career. Dad sometimes had a problem taking orders from those he felt he could do a better job than, which proved true during the rest of his professional life.

After some fun years in Oklahoma City following college, Woody bartended and managed a very popular 1960’s establishment/watering hole called the Zanzibar on 23rd street in OKC. During this time, he also started working at a local grocery and convenience store chain called Big Jim’s and Little Jim’s (convenience store branch). Dad later left the bar business and focused his attention to Little Jim’s solely, where in a short time he became managing director of operations reporting to Big Jim himself directly.

During this time, Woody lived in various apartments in and around OKC with multiple buddies, and as he told it, they always seemed to move into a new apartment just as the rent was due at the old place.

While living in one such apartment, a roommate set him up on a blind date with a girl who was in OKC visiting one of her cousins, Mary Frances McCoy was her name and they met on Halloween night 1965. After a very short courtship, with both traveling back in forth from OKC and Ft Worth, dad proposed to Mary. She said yes but waited a few hours to give dad enough time to get back across the Red River before she told her mother.

Mary and Woody were married in Ft Worth, Texas on June 4th, 1966. Living in OKC in the mid-sixties, they met many long-life friends, including Bob and Charla Duggins and Jay and TD Taylor (who later became Godparents to Jason and Chad and then Woody and Mary became Godparents to Jayne and Leslie their daughters). In 1969 Jason came along followed by his brother in 1971.

After a decade with Big and Little Jim’s, dad resigned his executive position with Big Jim and moved his family to Hurst, Texas in 1977 which began an almost 30-year odyssey with Southland Corporation 7-11 and Circle K.

Starting as a clerk and manager trainee, in a rough area of Ft Worth, Woody quickly gained the attention of Southland executives by revolutionizing the way the interiors of a 7-11 store were laid out. Woody understood then where the highest traffic areas of in-store were and against operational policy at the time, began to reorganize his store accordingly. It wasn’t long before Woody’s ideas were adopted nationwide and he was quickly promoted up the ranks until in 1979 he was moved to Lawton, OK as the Division Manager to improve and grow a market that was slipping away from the Southland Corp. headquarters in Dallas. Woody not only stabilized the stores in Lawton but in Altus, Wichita Falls, Duncan, Gainesville, and Sherman. Soon Woody’s division included Southlake, Grapevine and Denton, Texas. In all at one point, dad managed over fifty 7-11’s in Southwest OK and North Texas and was one of the most successful divisions in the United States.

While in Lawton, Mary and Woody raised their 2 sons, putting them through elementary, jr. and sr. high school and then college including grad school for Chad.

After retiring from the convenience store business dad wasn’t done nor ready to relax. So, in the late 90’s and early 2000’s dad became a banker. He called in a favor with an old friend who owned City National Bank at the time in Lawton and told him “I’ve always wanted to try my hand at banking”. Woody started out as he always had at the bottom the way he liked it. He was a clerk at a Walmart branch of City National Bank and in just a few weeks he was already running the place. In the next couple of months, dad was named branch manager of the gore location near Cameron University. Dad continued that role for another 10 years before Mary retired as a teacher and the pair packed up and moved back to OKC where they first met and loved the city that gave them there start.

After several years in a condo off of 63rd and Penn near Nichols Hills, they bought a house in Edmond living for a few years before finally moving to Baptist Village in OKC.

Mom and Dad’s faith in God and in Jesus gave both of them joy and solace over the years. Early on in their faith they taught Sunday school to toddlers and later to their senior groups. Woody was a proud Deacon and read his scriptures every day.

We could tell many many, many more stories of what Woody meant to his friends and family, but what’s most important is his love of family. Mary and Woody devoted their lives to their sons and to each other. If there is a model for a perfect father, I find it hard to find someone comparable.

Woody will be missed by those that knew him and respected by his actions as a man of Christ.

Love you, Dad.

A visitation for Woody will be held Monday, March 4, 2024 from 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM at Memorial Park Funeral Home, 13313 North Kelley, Oklahoma City, OK 73131.

A graveside service will occur Wednesday, March 6, 2024 at 1:00 PM at Laurel Land Memorial Park Cemetery, 7100 Crowley Road, Fort Worth, TX 76134.