AMERICAN VETERAN

Oklahoman Archives 
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma
June 22, 2005, pg 14a

ASKINS OLLIE MARTIN
January 6, 1914 - June 19, 2005

Ollie Martin Askins, 91, of Duncan died at his home on Sunday, June 19, 2005, after a long illness. Services will be at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 22 at the First Christian Church, Duncan, with Rev. Tracy L. Wilson officiating. Burial will be at the Duncan Cemetery under the direction of Don Grantham Funeral Home. Ollie was born in Duncan to John Bartlett and Della (Morgan) Askins on January 6, 1914. He attended Lee Elementary School, then moved with his parents to Plainview, Texas, before returning to Oklahoma and graduating from Sayre High School. During the Depression years, Ollie remained in Sayre and began working part time in the abstract business, serving as a volunteer fireman, and honing his golf game. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Ollie enlisted in the United States Navy. Because of his aptitude with numbers, he was trained to become a cryptographer/analyst. Stationed in Hawaii, he was part of the team that worked on cracking the Japanese code. After the United States' success at the Battle of Midway, Ollie was transferred to Washington, D.C., where he completed his military service working on German codes. Ollie returned to Sayre and worked in the post office while he searched for an abstract company he wanted to purchase. Instead, he found his love and partner for life. He married Jarita Bicknell on April 22, 1951, and returned to Duncan as the owner of the Stephens County Abstract Company. Ollie loved the land title business and was recognized statewide as an expert in Oklahoma. He was recruited by major oil companies to initiate title searches for oil exploration in Florida. He received contracts from the U.S. Corps of Engineers to verify record owners in lake construction projects. He was active in the Oklahoma Land Title Association and served as OLTA President and on committees for the American Land Title Association. Ollie was the third recipient of the Bill Gill Award, presented annually to the abstractor who contributed most to Oklahoma's title industry. He was an active member and former elder of the First Christian Church. He served the city of Duncan as a member of the Zoning Commission and was the first recipient of the Duncan Chamber of Commerce award for "Downtown Beautification." He received the Liberty Bell Award from the Stephens County Bar Association. Ollie was a past president and District Lt. Governor of the Sayre Kiwanis Club and was a member of the Duncan Noon Kiwanis club, the Elks Lodge, American Legion, VFW, and a 32nd Degree Mason. He was a past president of the OU Dads. Association and an OUAssociate. He was passionate about golf and the OU Sooners. Ollie's life mirrored his deep Christian faith. He loved his family, his church and his friends. He was the eternal optimist, the consummate gentleman and the quiet giver. He is survived by his wife of the home; two daughters, Jari Askins of Duncan, and Carrie Askins of Oklahoma City; one son and daughter-in-law, Marty and...
 

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