Boyce Donald Ashcraft

Boyce Donald Ashcraft was born December 21, 1934, in Altus, Oklahoma, to James Robert Ashcraft and Lily Ellis Ashcraft, the third of four brothers.

The brothers were J.R., Kenneth, and Charles. Boyce was raised in Duncan and was a proud Duncan Demon. He was a state champion pole vaulter as a sophomore, but a broken tail bone kept him from repeating the title. He also played football and was a three-year letterman.

While there, he fell in love with the beautiful and vibrant Gail Erlene Patrick and they married right out of high school on November 8, 1954, just before he was stationed to serve in Germany in 1955 during peacetime. While he was away, they gave birth to a son, Tony Ray Ashcraft, July 11, 1955, who he did not meet until he finished his two-year enlistment.

After returning, the young family lived briefly in Army housing in Lawton before moving to Edmond where Boyce attended Central State College on the G.I. Bill. As he worked two jobs and attended night school, a second son, Robert Donald was born July 17, 1958.

After graduation with a degree in business, Boyce went to work for Ford Motor Credit Corporation and lived brief stints in Oklahoma City, OK, Albuquerque, NM, and Upland, CA.

In August 1963, with $600 in his pocket and a U-Haul trailer hooked to a 1962 Mercury Comet, the young family headed back to Oklahoma to start a new life in Clinton, Oklahoma. Boyce and brother Kenneth in partnership bought the newly established Daniels Drive In on Fourth and Avant. From this partnership they worked hard and expanded and added Ashcraft’s Dairy Mart in Altus and Satellite Drive In in Hobart. Eventually Kenneth and family settled in Altus and dissolved that partnership.

From hard work and embracing the community, as well as being fully vested in the activities of youth in Clinton, Boyce and Gail become a mentor and friend to all he employed and a leader in the community.

From this beginning and the assistance of his right-hand manager, Louise Carter, Boyce formed a partnership with Jack Ziehmer and started a small appliance and television store on Main Street in 1967-68. Boyce would work the lunch hour and dinner hours at Daniels and the store the other hours.

With a good business mind Boyce expanded and bought the Crown Cue Recreational Center and expanded TV And Appliance Land to a property across the street from Daniels, where he eventually bought most of the whole block to develop and expand to become TV And Appliance Land And Furniture. This enabled him to sub lease Daniels and focus on other investments and rental purchases.

Boyce was a good provider and husband to Gail and his young family, and they went without very little.

Years later Boyce and Gail went into business for themselves with furniture and appliances, as well as working many rentals, which he worked right up until his final days. He may still be working them from Heaven!

Boyce and Gail had many grand and great grandchildren to enjoy in their semi-retirement from Tony and the late Karen Pearce Ashcraft (Tracy Rae and Blake Alan), and son Bobby and Ann Milligan Ashcraft (Robert Daniel, Brandon and Barry Calvin).

They loved and cherished the spouses of their grands, David, Aubrey, Elise and Maleah Leanne, as well as great grands Jordan, Bradley, Will. Jacob. Micah, Madison, Hayden, Breck, Blade, Slade, Talus, and Kade. He also welcomed into the family daughter-in-love Debra Ann Fagan-Ashcraft and son-in-love Keith Wilson.

Service will be handled by Kiesau-Lee on Friday, July 21, at 10 a.m. at the First Christian Church with Pastor Doyle Kinney officiating with a graveside following at the Clinton Cemetery.

Many thanks to Shepherd Home Health & Hospice for the excellent care in the final days.