Barton Wade Ratliff, 88, died peacefully on October 27, 2014 in San Jose, California. He will be remembered as a loving husband, father and grandfather, as well as a successful petroleum engineer and entrepreneur.
Barton was born on December 2, 1925 in Drew, Mississippi, to Albert Wade Ratliff and Ruth Bullock. He graduated from Drew High School in 1943 where he played the trombone and also started a small swing band. He served in the U.S. Army Air Forces during 1943 to 1945 where he qualified as an aviation cadet and trained as a flight engineer on the B-29 bomber. Barton attended the University of Mississippi in 1946 for two semesters majoring in engineering before moving to Norman, OK to attend the University of Oklahoma. He earned a BS in Petroleum Engineering in 1950 and was a member of Sigma Chi Fraternity.
Barton married Betty Gage in June 1950 and they adopted a baby girl, Alison, in 1955. In 1962, Barton and Betty divorced and in November 1963, Barton married Leah Britton Clawson. Leah was born in Tulsa, OK and had four children Carla, John, Brian and Lee, from a previous marriage. Barton adopted all four of Leah's children. Barton and Leah had a son, Barton Bullock in 1965 and a daughter, Margaret Wade, in 1968.
Barton worked for Skelly Oil Company from 1950 to 1968, starting as a roustabout in the oil fields while training to be a petroleum engineer. Over 18 years, he climbed the corporate ladder with assignments in Hobbs, NM, Tulsa, OK, Casper, WY, Dickenson, ND, Alberta, Canada and Velma, Oklahoma and became Manager for Joint Operations for North America. While at Skelly, the company encouraged him to apply and he was accepted as a member of Mensa, an organization for person with IQ's in the top 2%. In 1968, Barton resigned from Skelly and purchased Nichols Drilling Company in Duncan with some investors. He became President, bought out his partners and renamed the company Ratliff Drilling Company. In the late 1970s, he took the company public on the American Stock Exchange and within a year, the company was valued at $60 million. Barton was named one of three outstanding entrepreneurs in the state of Oklahoma. He was very active in community affairs and served as Chairman of Duncan Area Economic Development Corporation. He and Leah were very active at the First Presbyterian Church of Duncan and in 1978 contributed a chapel to the church in memory of their mothers. Barton also made a contribution of $1 million to OU. The company remained profitable until 1984, but was liquidated in 1987 when drilling and the price of oil severely declined. Barton continued to be involved in the business of oil and gas exploration throughout his life. He lived in San Jose, CA the last decade of his life near family, enjoying his grandchildren and keeping in touch with family, high school classmates and many friends made over the years.
Barton is preceded in death by his wife of 42 years, Leah, who died January 1, 2006, and his son, John Ratliff. He is survived by his sister, Cornelia Rathke and his brother, Tom Ratliff, his sons: Barton Bullock Ratliff, Lee Ratliff and Brian Ratliff, his daughters: Margaret Ratliff Randazzo, Alison LeMay and Carla Mayberry, his eight grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
Memorial services will be at Memorial Park Cemetery Chapel, 5111 S. Memorial Drive, Tulsa, OK on Monday, November 24, 2014 at 10am. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Barton Ratliff's name to the Alzheimer's Association, www.alz.org .