Bob Grant

Longtime resident and former Bristow Fire Chief Bob Grant passed peacefully from the earthside embrace of his children and grandchildren into the waiting arms of his beloved wife, Cheri, and cherished parents Alton and Juanita, after a brief but valiant battle with renal cancer on Dec. 27, 2023, at the age of 69.

Born in Altus, Oklahoma on July 16, 1954, Bobby Keith was a strong, inquisitive, and happy child who loved exploring the outdoors on the Grant family farm north of Gould with his brother, Randy. The precocious duo kept their parents and grandparents on their toes throughout their childhood and teen years with their rambunctious shenanigans. The young family moved to Cordell, OK. when Alton joined the Oklahoma Highway Patrol in 1960 where they lived for several years.

They briefly transferred to Buffalo, Oklahoma, before finally making their permanent family home in Bristow in 1965. Regarded as an exceptional student and talented athlete, Bobby enjoyed sports immensely throughout his youth. Early on, baseball was his favorite pastime. The bonds of brotherhood forged on the diamond and in the dugout during his formative years were only strengthened with time. Bob treasured to his life’s end the many friendships he made and maintained with his teammates over the decades.

Upon graduating from Bristow High School in 1972, Bobby enrolled at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater where he studied marketing and business administration, completing 107 hours before being lured back to Cordell to work as a roughneck during the oil boom. When the market began to wane, he learned the trade of hot tar roofing and started his roofing company, Grant Roofing, serving residential and commercial customers for many years.

The most defining and significant elements of Bob’s life were his family and firefighting. In both, he found his purpose.

Al and Juanita were overjoyed when Bob returned to Bristow to be near them after his son, Keith Brandon, was born in August 1980. The addition of a grandson to the brood was pure bliss to the first-time grandparents. Bob became a father again three years later when eldest child, Linda Dawn, became his daughter when he married, Cheri, on April 16, 1983. After obtaining his degree in Fire Protection Technology from Tulsa Junior College, Bob followed in his fathers footsteps of public service and joined the Bristow Fire Department on September 14, 1983.

Five years later, he and Cheri welcomed their second son, Christopher Conley, completing their blended family which would extend to include his brothers at BFD along with their wives and children.

Bob was a present and patient provider whose priority was to be what his family

July 16, 1954 - December 27, 2023 needed when they needed it. A gentle and fun-loving dad, he was a source of constant encouragement, good humor, wisdom, strength, and protection for his children and always made time for homework help, Barbies, bedtime stories, spelling bee practice and hiking trips. His love for Cheri was boundless and he demonstrated it in ways big and small throughout their life together. He was devoted to her fully and they were one another’s best friend. The light of their lives were their four grandchildren who brought nothing but pride and joy to the couple’s final years. They relished their roles as grandparents and loved nothing more than spending holidays and birthdays in a house full of their laughter.

As a firefighter, Bob was fearless, dogged, and passionate about the profession and public safety. In 1989, he attended the National Fire Academy and graduated first in his class of 30 fire marshals to become one of the first 500 Hazardous Materials Specialists in the world. He passed the National Registry EMT exam with a 97 on his first attempt and served for nearly a decade as a CPR instructor for both the American Red Cross and the American Heart Association. He greatly enjoyed teaching CPR and first aid skills to others and used them countless times both onduty and off to save lives. On the morning of April 19, 1995, Bob answered the call for volunteers from the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City without hesitation. While it was an experience that impacted him in difficult and lasting ways, he was proud to have been a help to many victims and fellow first responders during a moment of great tragedy and was recognized by the Oklahoma State Legislature for his valor. The department would go on to earn additional citations for meritorious service under his leadership as incident commander during the wildland fires of 1995, 2005, 2006 and 2012.

Bob worked tirelessly as Fire Chief to make the department the best it could be.

For him, that meant doing much more than what could be achieved during on-duty hours. It meant taking an active role in community outreach and engagement visiting schools promoting fire and driving safety, fundraising annually for the city’s fireworks display and smoke detectors for vulnerable senior citizens, participating in community events and festivals, drafting and implementing a rural fire policy to protect Bristow citizens outside the city limits, staying abreast of the latest techniques and equipment to ensure safety and reduce property loss, educating other departments on the effectiveness of blowers when fighting wildland outbreaks, fostering a department culture that encouraged excellence and education, obtaining funding through grant awards to meet the ever growing needs of a small city with big budget challenges, and serving as the city’s safety coordinator, co-director of Emergency Management and as an advisor on curriculum for Central Tech. On Nov. 20, 2023, the City of Bristow recognized Bob Grant Appreciation Day in honor of his many contributions to the citizens and community and while he was unable to travel and receive the proclamation in person, he was touched to have his service to the community he loved so well be acknowledged.

After his retirement in 2014, he tried over the road truck driving on for size but decided being away from home was not for him. He spent a brief time instructing new drivers for Schlumberger at the Kellyville Training Center before Cheri’s deteriorating health made him decide to fully retire to spend as much time as possible with her. After her passing in 2021, his focus shifted to caregiving for his mother before she, too, passed in August 2023.

In an often dark and unsafe world, Bob Grant was a lighthouse – a guiding light and safe harbor for loved ones and strangers. His courage and selfless spirit were a shining example of what we all can and should be to one another. He was respected and loved immensely and will be deeply missed by all who had the good fortune to know him.

Bob is survived by his three children who admired and adored him, Linda Grant of Tulsa, Keith Grant (Kristen), of Bentonville, Arkansas, and Christopher Grant, of Bristow, four grandchildren, Emma Grant of Tulsa, Molly, Jack, and Ruby Grant, of Bentonville, Arkansas, one brother and two nieces, Randy, Betanya, and Katrina Grant, of Chuluota, Florida and a host of extended and firefighter family and lifelong friends.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Cheri Grant, his parents, Alton and Juanita Grant, and his nephew, Troy Grant.

A celebration of Bob’s life washeld at 2 pm on Jan. 6, 2024, at First Baptist Church. Per their wishes, Bob and Cheri will be laid to rest together, as to be apart at all was torture for them. Flowers, shared remembrances, prayers, hugs, and donations to the Bristow Fire Department are all welcome and appreciated. His children encourage all who knew Bob to bestow an anonymous kindness upon a stranger in his honor in the coming days as benevolence was his trademark and our world will surely need more of it in his absence. Services were under the direction of Hutchins-Maples Matherly Funeral Home.