GAYLE DEAN BLACKLOCK passed away peacefully on
April 26, 2021 at his home in Eastland Co., TX.
Gayle was 3 months shy of celebrating his 94th
birthday in this world.
He was born July 27, 1927 to parents Claude (CW)
& May Blacklock and was a product of the greater
Ranger, TX area and a proud graduate of Ranger
High School in 1944. Like many that lived through
the difficult times of the late 20s and 30s, Gayle
developed a strong, independent and purposeful
personality. After serving in the U.S. Navy during
the WWII, Gayle returned to Ranger where he went to
work with, "The Texas Company" which started a 40
year career with Texaco Oil Corp. In April of 1953
he married his hometown sweetheart, Ila Jane Hardy
(RHS-1949), a union that lasted 63 years. Gayle &
Jane had four children and lived in numerous oil
towns of West Texas and Eastern New Mexico. Gayle
was a self-taught accountant with a passion and
gift for numbers. Throughout his career with
Texaco he rose through the accounting, controls
and comptrollers departments and is remembered by
many life-long friends and colleagues.
He was a kind and gentle man with a quick wit and
a dry sense of humor. He loved to tell a good joke
and they were always delivered with a wry almost
boyish grin but never with malice. As the old saying
goes, he did not suffer fools gladly, but he was
always willing to help someone in need and would
gladly share his knowledge with anyone who was
willing to learn. After retirement, Jane & Gayle
returned to Lake Leon in Eastland County where he
volunteered with Meals on Wheels and the Small
Business Association where he used his accounting
gifts to help struggling area business people with
their affairs.
He was preceded in death by his loving wife Jane,
son Michael, parents CW & May, sister Mary Claude
Blacklock Blair (RHS-1940), brother Don Blacklock
(RHS-1946) and is survived by son Dan, daughter Jan
Blacklock Matthews (Bob) and son Jon (Ann), niece
Linda Blair and nephew Gary Blair (Phyllis). He
also leaves five grandchildren and four great-
grandchildren, plus one "in the oven." His faithful
canine companion through these last years, Sam,
also mourns his loss.