Value. Ernie never wasted anything, from an old bent nail or barnwood to left overs. He saw value in everything and he brought value to every interaction and relationship. He got all the good out of this life before moving onto his eternal home. Ernest Raymond Booher, 95, of Bartlesville, Ok, died in the early morning hours of November 11, 2023, in Vian Ok , holding the hand of his daughter Eileen.
He was born in Washington County VA February 18, 1928 to Terry and Minnie Booher, who owned a local grocery store. By the age of 7, Ernie was delivering groceries on his bike pulling his little red wagon behind. He attended grade school through high school in Bristol Virginia before attending Virginia Tech to study and play football. That was short lived because he was called by Uncle Sam to serve in the United States Navy from 1947-1949, but he never forgot to cheer for his beloved Hokies throughout his life.
After Ernie got out of the Navy he went to work for Pet Milk. His job took him across all of the south. In fact, he met the love of his life, Barbara in 1966 in the Dallas airport on a business trip.
And on October 6, 1967 Ernie and Barbara were married. They made a new family with Ernie’s children Eileen and Mark and Barbara’s children Sandy and Lou.
In the family they created, Ernie and Barbara saw their children marry and enjoyed 7 grandchildren, 8 great grandchildren,and 6 great great grandchildren.
Ernie never met a stranger. He was always upbeat even in hardship. These characteristics are what helped him excel in the food service sales industry. He held many positions and moved up the corporate ladder but at the culmination of his career, Ernie had built his own business, Booher’s Brokerage, from the ground up and sold it before retiring in the early 2000’s. In those early days, between sales calls, he used a pay phone to call Barbara who took messages for him in her beauty salon in Bartlesville. Then one day he got held up at a gas station in Tulsa and Ernie put a phone in his car, creating the Booher’s Brokerage mobile office. He just kept selling. He was so well loved and respected that even years after retirement, companies would send him holiday food gifts to share with his family.
He was a believer, man of faith, and knew the value of attending and being active in the church. He was a Christian of the Baptist faith but had attended Bartlesville First Presbyterian as a member for a number of years.
Before meeting Barbara, Ernie hadn’t been around horses but after a short time, he was hooked. They spent most of their free time together raising and watching the stock from their small ranch “The Runnin B” win lots of races (including a division of The Black Gold Futurity) as well as going on to great careers in the show ring and rodeo arena.
Ernie is survived by his sister Christine Fields, his previously mentioned children, grand children, great grandchildren, great great grandchildren and by many friends who he still corresponded with until his death.
In the last week of his life, the hospice chaplain came for a visit. Ernie showed him all of his family pictures with a story for each one. He was upbeat and as always got the value of family, and a good conversation