Russell "Red" Cliburn

Funeral service for Russell Herbert "Red" Cliburn, 35, of Lawton will be at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, October 14, 2019 at Lawton Ritter Gray Funeral Home.  

Red died unexpectedly on Oct. 5, 2019 in Lawton, Okla. 

Burial will be at Highland Cemetery. 

Viewing will be held on Sunday, October 13, 2019 from 12:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. at the funeral home. 

He was born June 27, 1984 in Tupelo, Miss. At the age of two, he moved from Florida to Lawton, where he immediately complained about the snow and asked to go “home.” But Lawton became his home for the remainder of his life, as he loved the town and its people. 

He worked as an oil field technician until he was hit while on his  motorcycle by an inattentive driver at the age of 22. He almost lost his leg and spent many painful months in the hospital. But he never became bitter, forgiving and refusing to sue the single mother that caused the accident. Later in life, he was a sales distributor traveling all over the state, which he loved.

Russell made friends everywhere he went. He loved building cars, reading books, making people laugh, and helping friends and strangers. He never drove past a stranded motorist, changing countless tires and filling countless gas cans with no expectation of repayment. He never saw a stray dog he wouldn’t help, fostering and re-homing dozens of grateful pets over the years. He helped numerous friends when they were at their lowest, giving them cars and providing places to stay and talk. He could make anyone laugh, no matter their mood. He loved his parents and his older brother, and they loved him.

He is survived by his parents, Tamara K. and Robert R. Cliburn, Lawton; his brother and sister-in-law, Justin C. and Deanne Cliburn, Oklahoma City, his daughter, Kayla Tiernan, Colorado Springs, Colo., his girlfriend Christina Bartholomew, Lawton, his favorite dog, Over, and countless friends in Lawton and beyond. 

He was preceded in death by his daughter, Emma; and his son, Kristo, who he loved more than anything on Earth. 

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (nami.org).  

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