Roy J “Junior” Herring of Cushing departed this life Saturday evening August 19, 2023 at the age of 97 with family by his side.
Herring was born on a farm in Lincoln County near Chandler on May 11, 1926. He was the second oldest of six children of Everett Leroy and Myrtle (Moore) Herring. He attended Victor School in Lincoln County. In 1944 he was drafted into the U.S. Army.
Entering the army at the height of the World War II, Herring was assigned to Company C, 1st Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division.
While serving in combat on the “Siegfried Line” in Germany in mid-March 1945, his company was ordered to cross an anti-tank ditch while advancing forward. Pfc. Herring was carrying a machine gun and slid into the deep ditch injuring his back and rendering him unconscious. The men in the advance thought he was dead. They retrieved the vital machine gun and continued forward, leaving the injured soldier without a weapon.
When Pvt. Herring regained consciousness, he followed the sound of gunfire back to his company about a quarter mile away. During the battle, Company A which was ahead was nearly wiped out. The strategic radio was left in the field with them. Pvt. Herring and five others were “volunteered” to retrieve it. Though Pvt. Herring’s back was injured, he did not hesitate to follow the order.
Wading through bodies searching for the precious radio, they came across a wounded soldier who told them that the Germans had just taken the dead men’s watches and rings and were still close. He directed the detail to the radio and was then rescued by the group.
When the group returned, Company C was entrenched around a pillbox and pinned down. The Germans continued shelling and it was during this siege that Pvt. Herring was wounded by shrapnel. Upon returning to Company C, he found out that the soldiers who had been with him during the retrieval of the radio and the wounded soldier had all received the Bronze Star for their bravery. They could not remember Herring’s name so he was overlooked. Seventy years later, through the diligent efforts of his family, the American Legion, the Oklahoma Legislature , Herring was presented with his Bronze Star by Congressman Frank Lucas for “meritorious achievement in active ground combat against the enemy on 9 February 1945…in keeping with the finest traditions of military service and reflects great credit upon himself, the 3rd Infantry Division and the Army of the United States” according to the citation.
Besides the Bronze Star, Herring was awarded two Purple Hearts, the French Fourragere, European African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, Good Conduct Medal, World War II Victory Medal, Army of Occupation Medal, Distinguished Unit Badge and Expert Combat Infantry Badge.
When he returned from the war, Herring joined the Army National Guard as a corporal in California where his family temporarily lived. Later, he returned to Chandler OK . He married Patty Hesser on March 20, 1948 after the two had met on a blind date .Patty and Junior worked hand and hand throughout their business life supporting each other through every endeavor. Then after 11 years Patty and Junior welcomed their only child Pamela Gail into their world. The couple had been married 70 years when Patty passed away in 2018. Junior loved to hunt quail with his Brittany Spaniel and German Pointers. He also hunted deer, and ducks. He was an avid fisherman all his life. He especially enjoyed fishing at friend Willy Boley’s catfi sh farm with his brother George and daughter Pam. On his 90th birthday they caught 90 lbs of catfi sh! He loved watching horse races, baseball, softball and just like his Dad, Monday Night Wrestling.
Most people in Cushing will remember Herring from his days at Rice’s 18 Service Station where he provided full service, washing windshields, checking oil and tires and even vacuuming cars with every gasoline purchase, and doing it all with a smile. Everyone remembers Junior as always having a positive attitude with smiles and giggles to share.
Herring also had a Gibble Gas Station on Cherry Street, worked for Earl Gibble as a truck dispatcher and driver as well as managing the Cimarron Turnpike gas station near Pawnee. In 1981, he retired from Lionel Harris Oil Company.
Perhaps the most memorable of Herring’s habits was that he always had candy (Lifesavers) in his pocket to share. He loved to offer everyone that visited him a Dr. Pepper. He especially loved little Mis Rinely Jane’s visits.
In 2015, he was presented with a handmade quilt by the local “Quilts of Valor” foundation and was chosen to participate in the Oklahoma Honor Flight Program where he was accompanied by his daughter and fellow veterans on a trip to Washington DC. He called it a “trip of a lifetime.”
In November 11, 2022, a portion of State Highway 18 north of Cushing was named for the WWII veteran and Bronze Star recipient. The two-mile stretch of highway runs past Herring’s home on North Little Avenue and the site of Rice’s Service Station, where he once worked, then enters the city limits from the north.
At 96, Herring was still serving his country and community through his activity with American Legion Post 108 where he had been a longtime member. In the recent past, he was a member of the Honor Guard which performs ceremonies at veterans’ funeral services and other service-related activities.
Besides his parents, Herring was preceded in death by his wife, Patty, in November 2018; brothers George Herring and Sister inlaw Allie, Joe Herring; sister Jewel Greenfield and brother in law Virgil ; and brother in law Lewis Clair Curry.
Survivors include daughter Pamela G. (Pam) Edmoundson and her husband G. Vernon of Bixby; sisters Artie Curry and Glenda Phipps.
The service will be this Friday August 25th at 10am at First Church of God 501 N Noble Cushing and buried at Parkland Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made to: American Legion Post 108 214 S Noble Ave Cushing OK 74023
