Oklahoma procars over the years

Steve Loftin

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1964 Royale Limousine combination - Buckley Mortuary, Chouteau
1966 Victoria combination - "
1970 Sovereign Landaulet endloader - Foster-Petering F.H., Muskogee
1966 Cotington combination w/panels - "

(SL photos)
 

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1970 Landau Traditional endloader - Merriott, Chelsea
1971 Landau Traditional endloader - Hayhurst-Wood, Henryetta
1964 Volunteer - United Methodist Indian Church A.S., Stilwell (volunteer service provided to area Indian community)
1964 Superior/Pontiac 46" - Cleveland F.D. (seen here sitting behind the fire station, waiting to be sold)

(SL photos)
 

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1971 Sovereign Landaulet endloader - Schumacher F.H., Bristow
1967 Crown Royale Limousine combination - " (When this firm [originally Dunaway's] was in the ambulance business, she was solid white with dual spotlights and the usual ambulance paraphernalia. What a beauty!)
1975 Cotington 54 - Broken Arrow F.D.
1972 Lifeliner - "

(SL photos)
 

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1969 Seville combination - Green-Wilson-Cunningham, Pryor
1969 Classic combination - "
1967 Classic combination - "
1972 Sovereign Landaulet endloader - " (One weekend, two of their three ambulances were in the shop. They cobbled up this light arrangement on their hearse in case they got busy. Luckily, with two competitors in town that operated ambulances, this car wasn't needed.)

(SL photos)
 

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Combinations - Part I

Here are more photos I took in the 1970s on 110 film; prepare to be unimpressed with their quality. However, I'm VERY glad I shot these with at least some sort of camera! These are all combination cars:

1972 Olympian - Thomas F.H., Welch
1962 Royale Limousine - Brown's Victor F.H., Okmulgee
1969 Seville - Webb F.H., Okemah
1972 Seville - "

(SL photos)
 

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More combinations:

1963 Classic - Village A.S.., Collinsville
1964 Classic - Huckleberry F.H., Wetumka (ex-Oneal's in Dallas[!], then Case-Hill in Alva, OK)
1973 Cotington - Mallett F.H., Wagoner (ex-Peters, Skiatook, OK)
1964 Superior/Pontiac - Chandler F.D.

(SL photos)
 

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A few more combinations:

1971 Sovereign Regency - Hayes-Hersman, Wagoner (ex-Smith's, Sapulpa, OK)
1970 Sovereign Landaulet - Davis, Okmulgee
1962 Premier - Yale F.H., Yale
1972 Victoria - Wright, Coweta

(SL photos)
 

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...and a few more combinations:

1957 Criterion - individual, Tulsa
1973 Consort - Dyer F.H., Okmulgee
1967 Royale Tiara - Davidson F.H., Webbers Falls
1967 Seville - "

(SL photos)
 

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A few short-wheelcase cars...:

1967 Consort ambulance - Tahlequah P.D. (ex-Hart F.H.)
1964 Seville ambulance - " (ex-Reed-Culver F.H.)
(Note Dietz #250 lollipops as well as the Skylighter beacon, Sireno's answer to Federal's Strat-O-Ray)
1968 Seville combination - Mallett F.H., Wagoner (note mismatched #17-D and #176-D beacons)
1970 Consort combination - Hersman F.H., "

(SL photos from 1973)
 

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...and a few more:

Sharp, clean, low-mileage 1963 Seville combination - Buckley Mortuary, Chouteau (ex-Hart F.H., Jay; note Unity #RV-46 beacon)
1967 Consort combination - Smith F.H., Sapulpa (on loan from Superior dealer while a Smith car was being repaired after a collision)
1962 Flxette combination - individual, Picher (ex-?, then Quapaw F.D.)
1967 Seville combination - Buckley's, Chouteau - (ex-Wisconsin rig, sold to Ray Buckley by Bob Hedges)
1972 Consort combination - Jones-Wilson-Cunningham, Locust Grove (ex-Texas car; note #176-D and #175-D beacons, as well as C/B torpedo lights)
1972 Consort combination - Green-Wilson-Cunningham, Pryor (ex-Moore F.H., Owasso; also has mismatched beacons on homemade lightbar)

(SL photos)
 

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Huckleberry

Steve,
I went to mortuary school with Huckleberry at Wetumpka. He was something else!!!

My Brother-in-law worked for Demuths in Britton in the late 90's, of course a long time after they went out of the ambulance service. I talked him in to moving to Dodge City and working for me, now he is managing and buying into my business here. Dave Demuth is a great guy, but the son, Tom, well I don't know about him???

My, how times change........

Mike
 
Roberts & Son F.H. - Blackwell, OK

A newspaper ad from 1963, a portion of which is shown here, shows their 1963 Consort combination and 1960 Plymouth wagon ambulance. The headroom in the Consort was only 5.5" higher than that of a full-size Pontiac wagon. The "sit-up and heart patients" verbiage is reminiscent of Ferno's ads for their #32 and #27 stretchers. When the head was raised on either of these models, the hip/leg portion of the mattress lowered accordingly, therefore allowing a patient to sit up slightly taller than he/she would on a normal stretcher.

The second ad shows their (blue) 1966 Royale Limousine combination and the equipment it carried. In the late 1960s, Medicare started to require ambulance services meet certain vehicle, personnel, training, and equipment requirements in order to qualify for reimbursement. I'm not sure if the funeral home or a procar dealer converted this car to a straight ambulance, but the window decals are definitely from the Gordon K. Allen Co. (Superior dealer at the time) in Dallas. That pair of #17 beacons probably came off of the 1960 Plymouth wagon. The one-man stretcher shown is a #27. The equipment listing is priceless because it tells us what a typical car carried in that time period.

This publicity photo(?) was probably taken about 1970. When Roberts & Son exited the ambulance business in the early 1970s, this car as well as a lowtop 1970(?) Chevy lowtop van were turned over to the city. The fire department has handled ambulance service in Blackwell ever since. Shown here with one of the Roberts family is an OHP trooper and a Blackwell policeman.

(all items courtesy Chris Fetters of R&SFH)
 

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More Blackwell cars

Roberts & Son F.H.
1940 Miller/LaSalle endloader
1950 Premier combination
The Buick was a nicely equipped car; Dynaflow transmission, dual spotlights,
whitewalls, and two-tone paint.

(R&SFH photos)

Blackwell F.D.
1962 Landau Traditional combination
This girl was originally operated by the Porter F.H. (no longer in business). After it was turned over to the city, the fire department installed a siren, speaker, and a beacon as you see in the attached photo. I was told that she
was always used as a "last out" car because of her (black hearse) appearance. This photo was taken in 1980, shortly before the city sold her. This car has been for sale on eBay twice in the past five years.

(SL photo)
 

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Here are some Tulsa area cars:

This 1957 Superior combination, complete with dual spotlights, was for sale in 1974.

Owen's in Sapulpa once operated this 1961 Weller/Ford ambulance.

There was an ambulance builder of dubious repute in Oklahoma that, over a 25-year-or-so period, operated under at least eight different names and in almost as many locations. His many "accomplishments" include federal as well as state time for stolen car and firearm convictions. One of his trade-ins in 1974 was this almost mint 1958 Memphis/Pontiac combination that came from Missouri. With just over 30,000 miles, she was sold for $350 to a young man that used her to haul his lawn care equipment around.

Another trade-in was this 1969 Weller/Pontiac ambulance from Mississippi.

(SL photos)
 

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More old photos from the Tulsa area:

The Nash-Jackson F.H. owned this very nice 1964 Royale Limousine combination, complete with factory dual air, swag drapes, and C-pillar door hinging. Can you imagine what she would bring on eBay these days?

Central A.S. bought a few cars from Randle-Eastern (Miami, FL) over the years. This 1970 Rescuer shows how they looked when they arrived...white/orange/white, their beacons missing, and with a few battle scars. This car (or one just like it) was repaired, repainted, and sold to the Stumpff F.H. in Bartlesville. A few years later she was sold to the Quapaw F.D., replacing the 1962 Flxette combination seen earlier in this thread.

Hart's in Tahlequah originally owned this 1961 Crown Royale Landaulet combination, seen here for sale on a used car lot.

This 1949 Premier combination, sporting dual spotlights and red grille lights, was for sale in front of a pawn shop on 11th St. (old U.S. 66) in 1971.

Here's an ex-USAF 1961 Memphis/Pontiac, seen here being operated by the local Civil Air Patrol squadron at an air show.

(SL photos)
 

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Thanks

Steve,
Thanks for the great photo gallery and history in the last few days. Finally, I am very familiar with most of the pics and stories you have. I don't have any photos, but plenty of stories told by my former employers and employees of days gone by with my early years in Oklahoma going to mortuary school.

One old story told by Lee Carson, one of my bosses at Baggerley's, along with Robert Harris, is that they remembered that Street and Draper Funeral Home at about 8th & Harvey ? in Okla. City had a Packard Town Car Funeral Coach in the 30's and 40's, and that put on a real show for upper-class services in the city.

At the time I was in Edmond going to school, the population was 13K, now it's over 100K.

Thanks again,
Mike
 
Smith Ambulance (and wrecker, and taxi, and auto repair/salvage) Service in Muskogee operated this 1972 Pontiac 54", ex-Mayes Co. (Pryor). The nighttime security at their combined facility was an adult brown bear, let out of its cage when the salvage yard was closed!

This is Smith's 1972 Cotington combination, loaded with demountable beacons from older cars.

The Buckley F.H. in Wetumka had this 1970 Pontiac 48", originally from Wisconsin, with no air conditioning. It was later sold to the Huckleberry F.H. in Webbers Falls.

Buckley's also had this very nice 1970 Cotington 48; both cars were purchased from Bob Hedges. I've never seen another C/B with a pair of Junior beacons only on the rear like this one has. This car, too, was later sold to Gerald Huckleberry.

Burkhalter's in Vinita had this 1973 Sovereign Limousine combination (with panels). The beacon is a Sireno Gyro-Ray.

(SL photos)
 

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This 1966 National/Buick combination was originally owned by the Powell F.H. in Hominy. When they exited the ambulance business, it was sold or given to a local man that took over the service for a few years (as seen here, in service as a straight ambulance).

The funeral homes in Stillwater got out of the ambulances business in late 1970. The fire department's first two new ambulances were a Springfield/International hightop and this Superior/Pontiac 51", both 1971 models. They also used a 1968 Suburban lowtop, given to them by the Strode F.H., until it was replaced in 1974.

The Tahlequah P.D. took over ambulance operation from the funeral homes in about 1972, using existing cars until new ones were purchased. This very rare 1969 Weller/Chevrolet (ex-Hart F.H.) was photographed by my friend Pete Byrne of Tulsa. While not a procar buff, he knew enough to not let something this unusual go unphotographed...thanks, Pete!

Later Stillwater F.D. purchases included this 1974 and then a 1975 Pontiac, both 54" jobs.

(SL and PB photos)
 

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The Jackson F.H. (Wetumka) was the predecessor to Buckley's. This is their 1970 Seville combination, which had a Director siren.

I almost got to make a call in this 1972 Consort combination. Vernon Jackson had taken the Seville on a call just after I photographed it. When a second call came in, his wife asked if I would go with her and drive. Just as we were entering the street, Vernon got back and quickly took my place. This car, with a #28 and a permanent-mount Twinsonic, was on loan while their 1969 Volunteer was having collision damage repaired at Summers.

Jackson's primary funeral car was this 1970 Cotington combination.

This very nice 1969 Cotington combination, with aftermarket vinyl top, was owned by the Musgrove-Merriott F.H. in Claremore.

(SL photos)
 

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