Graveside funeral service with military honors for Willis Wayne Cantrell will be 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, June 16, 2021 in Fort Sill National Cemetery, Elgin, with Greg Parks and Dwayne Blevins officiating.  Arrangements are under direction of Becker-Rabon Funeral Home.

Willis Wayne Cantrell died Monday, June 14, 2021 in Lawton, Oklahoma at the age of 90.  He was born October 26, 1930 in Anadarko, Oklahoma, to Owen W. and Evia Ivrene (Gibson) Cantrell.  The family moved to Lawton where Willis attended Bishop School, Prairie Lee School and Central Junior High School before moving to Huntington Beach, California.

He worked at Lawton Meat Supply before joining the 45 ^th Army National Guard on August 15, 1950.  He conducted all of his training at Fort Polk, Louisiana.  He served in Korea during the Korean War, serving with the 700 Ordnance Light Maintenance Company.  His military occupation specialties included light artillery repairman and mess sergeant.  His awards and decorations include the Army Occupation Medal (Japan), Korean Service Medal (1 bronze Campaign Star) and the United Nations Service Medal.  He was honorably discharged from the Army on August 13, 1953.  In 2016 he was honored by the 2 ^nd Battalion of the 20 ^th Field Artillery Regiment at Fort Sill, Oklahoma for his military service in Korea.

He married Gay Nell Parks at Faxon, Oklahoma, on December 16, 1950.  They celebrated their 70 ^th wedding anniversary this past year.  Together they had three children, Charles, Johnie and Brent.  Following his retirement, he worked at Fort Sill in the Central Meat Plant and later at the  Commissary, retiring after 31 years as Meat Market Manager.  He was a member of the Mennonite Brethren Church.

He was Cub Master of Pack 129 at Whittier Elementary School and worked with Boy Scouts.  He coached football and baseball at Whittier for several years.  Willis and Gay Nell enjoyed traveling to Colorado every summer, spending the last 24 years at South Fork, Colorado.  He was a huge OU fan.

He is survived by his wife, of the home; two sons and a daughter-in-law, Charles and LuLing Cantrell, North East, Maryland and Brent Cantrell, Lawton; three granddaughters, Michelle and Garrett Floyd, Colorado Springs, Colorado, Amy Cantrell, Seattle, Washington, Ginger and Patrick Ruberry, Nottingham, Maryland and Tara Daily, Seattle, Washington; four great grandsons, three great granddaughters, one great great grandson as well as nieces and nephews whom he loved dearly.

He was preceded in death by a son, Johnie Glyn Cantrell, his parents, grandparents, Walter and Gertie Gibson and Owen and Mary Cantrell, his brother, Barney Lee Cantrell and his father-in-law and mother-in-law, Oscar and Bertie Parks.