Rondal Glenn Hargett, who went by his middle name Glenn, entered the world on February 17, 1932, in a farm house near the rural community of Ninnekah in south central Oklahoma.

He was the sixth of seven children born to Fred Wells Hargett and Lecta LaVesta Mae (Bowen) Hargett. Tragically, he soon became the youngest of the family for a second time, after his baby sister succumbed to a fatal illness at less than 15 months of age.

The family made their living as tenant farmers, or sharecroppers. Like his five older siblings, Glenn was soon expected to pitch in around the farm to help the family survive through the Great Depression of the 1930s. When not working around the farm, Glenn attended elementary schools in the Ninnekah-Agawam area south of Chickasha.

In 1941, when he was 9, the family was displaced from Oklahoma by the devastation wrought by the Dust Bowl. They relocated to a camp primarily for "Okie" farm workers in the San Joaquin Valley of California. Of the six surviving Hargett children who made the move west, only Glenn would choose to return, about 15 years later, to again make his home in Oklahoma.

After his family found refuge in central California, Glenn attended Merced Union High School. As part of Merced's Class of 1951, he became the only one of his siblings to attain a high school diploma. He played football for his state champion high school team, but stepped down from the team before their championship victory, so that he could better contribute to his family's income.

Glenn had done farm labor ‒ chopping and picking cotton, picking beans and tomatoes ‒ from the time he was about 6, and in California he worked in vineyards and peach orchards for a time. While still attending school, he found work in a men's clothing store and another job delivering telegrams on his bicycle.

In 1951, about nine months after the Korean War broke out, Glenn volunteered as an enlisted soldier in the U.S. Air Force at the age of 19. His USAF training and experience as an aircraft mechanic would establish the foundation for his future career, but his close proximity to engine noise would also cost him significant hearing loss in later life.

His wartime service took him for a short time to what was then French-administered Morocco, with a brief stop in the mid-Atlantic Azores islands, but thankfully most of his Air Force service was stateside. Decades later, as a veteran who served during the conflict, Glenn received a medal from the South Korean government, gratefully acknowledging his role in securing that country's freedom.

Apart from preparing him for his future airline mechanic career, Glenn's service with the Air Force had another fateful effect on the direction of his life.

During Glenn's leave from Smoky Hill Air Force Base in Salina, Kansas, he would sometimes visit relatives in the small northeast Oklahoma town of Bryant, where he would enjoy the home-cooked meals and warm welcome of his aunt, uncle, and cousins in the Bowen family.

On one such visit in 1954, Glenn drove a few miles into the town of Henryetta, where he managed to catch the eye of a young woman working as a "soda jerk" in Berry's Drug Store. Her name was Margaret Renfrow and she accepted Glenn's offer to see her home after her shift. The two began dating and before long became engaged.

While dating Margaret, Glenn was honorably discharged from the Air Force in March, 1955, after four years of service. By then, he had attained the rank of Airman First Class as an A&E (airframe and engine) mechanic. Then, on October 10, 1955, Glenn was hired as a mechanic at American Airlines in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

A few months later, on May 19, 1956, Glenn married Margaret Elizabeth Renfrow at the Church of the Nazarene in Henryetta. A highlight of the wedding reception was that, on a dare, Glenn pushed his new bride in a wheelbarrow down Henryetta's Main Street while both were still dressed up in their wedding attire.

The couple honeymooned in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and not long afterward moved to Tulsa, where Glenn was already starting his career. True to their marital vow "till death," Margaret and Glenn's marriage would endure for over 70 years. In 1958, the couple welcomed a son, Ken, and, in 1961, a daughter, Shari.

Glenn continued as a mechanic, and later a quality control inspector, with American Airlines, where he worked for over 40 years before retiring on February 1, 1996. He, Margaret, and their children made good use of his vacation time and airline travel benefits to visit Glenn's original family out in California about once a year.

Glenn also enjoyed traveling and sightseeing by car with his family. Many of their excursions involved trips to national parks, often on the way to and from visits with family in California. He often credited his son Ken for planning the auto trips to include as many scenic locations as possible, long before anyone had GPS routing or internet recommendations. Glenn had a special affection for Yosemite National Park, which is located not far from where he had spent his high school years.

In his free time, Glenn was an avid fan of most types of spectator sports, but especially OU Sooners football. He coached his daughter Shari's softball and basketball teams from elementary through high school. He also contributed a great deal of his free time to helping others, especially with household repairs or upgrades, and car repair and maintenance issues.

Glenn's affiliations included his decades-long membership in the Transport Workers Union (TWU) and membership in the American Legion.

Glenn was preceded in death by his parents, Fred and LaVesta Hargett; infant sister LaVonna; sisters and brothers-in-law Freda and Willard Dyer, Claudia and Harmon Cook, and Nell and John Salles; brother and sister-in-law V.W. (Mike) and Cleda Hargett; and brother Vernon Hargett. He also was predeceased by his younger cousin Linda (Bowen) Broughton, who had a special place in his heart as his surrogate "little sister," and by her husband James.

He is survived by his wife Margaret (Renfrow) Hargett; son Ken Hargett; daughter and son-in-law Shari and Chet Cross; and grandson Cameron Cross. Additionally, he is survived by honorary grandchildren Michael Johanning and wife Meghan, and his son Christopher; Dr. Megan (Johanning) Abtahi and husband Keivan, and their children Dane and Mila Abtahi; and Matthew Johanning. Glenn also had grandfatherly fondness for, and is survived by, Misty Broughton; Jeremy Walker and wife Karen and their daughter Elena; and Emma Walker and her son Arthur. And he is survived as well by members of his extended family, neighbors and other friends.

Rondal Glenn Hargett's earthly life ended, following a prolonged illness, on August 4, 2026, about 5½ months after attaining 94 years of age.

In lieu of flowers the family request donations to be made to Good Shepard Hospice Foundation.