Billie Genelle Leeper Rannals, only child of Bill and Gladys Leeper, was born February 20, 1923 in Temple, Oklahoma, at her maternal grandparent’s farm home. It was a very cold, snowy night when the doctor, still making house calls, arrived by horse and buggy.
Her dad was a Driller and worked in the Texas oilfields moving frequently from Ranger, to Borger, to Phillips and Panhandle areas. When at four or five and nearing the age of starting school, the family settled in Texhoma, Oklahoma where her dad purchased several tanker trucks and opened a wholesale oil and gas business serving the local wheat farmers, along with a very modem service station where mechanics were on duty with a full supply of auto parts and accessories on hand for sale. He had many employees, and life was good for several years in Texhoma. They became members of the First Christian Church, where Genelle, at age twelve, accepted the Lord as her Savior. A new home was purchased, school was wonderful, and the family involved and happy in all aspects of local life. Genelle loved animals, so there was always a special pet in her life, usually a dog who would be very dear to her heart.
Oklahoma had eight years of grade school at that time and four years of high school. Genelle loved everything about school, played clarinet in school band and graduated Salutatorian from eighth grade in Texhoma.
During this time, the horrible dust storms struck and farmers' crops continued to fail year after year, until the farmers debts could no longer be carried by her dad and it became necessary to take the losses and move on.
Leaving her friends and moving away was traumatic, but after only a few days in her new high school in Dumas, Texas, she was elated with so many new friends and new activities. She became involved in everything, played clarinet in band, piano in orchestra, and her senior year joined the drama club putting on 3-act plays every six weeks and became the high school girl’s tennis champion, graduating in 1941 as Valedictorian of the graduating class. It was on to Business College in Lubbock, Texas, where she was December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor Day. She graduated and returned to Dumas to marry her high school sweetheart, Bruce Rannals, who was returning from his first year of college where he attended Southwestern University on a football scholarship. They married June 13, 1942 and in October 1942 Bruce was inducted into U.S.Naval Reserve, where he spent the next 3 years, 26 months of which was in the Pacific.
During these years, Genelle worked for the Corps of Engineers, then War Ordnance Department in Dumas where a new war plant was being built.. Later moved with her parents to Oak Ridge, Tennessee where she worked for the Chief of Engineers for one of the contractors on the Manhattan Project (atomic bomb project). In 1945, she was able to join Bruce in Washington D.C. where he was attending an Advanced Gunnery School.
Later she was with him in Norfolk, Virginia, and Orange, Texas where she attended the
Commissioning of his new ship, the U.S.S. Bordelon, a destroyer. Then for a short time they were together in Galveston, Texas, prior to the shake-down cruise to Guantanamo Bay, followed by some time together in Portsmouth, Virginia where they were when the Japanese surrendered. However, Bruce had to go back to sea and Genelle back to Oak Ridge. In October 1945 Bruce had enough points to get out of the Navy and return home. He was finally honorably discharged in October 1945.
Their first son, Larry, was born May 14, 1943 in Amarillo, Texas, the second son Robert was born December 11, 1945 in Oak Ridge, Tennessee and their third son, Stanley was born in Pasadena, Texas October 4, 1948. They returned to Texas as soon as possible after the war, bought a home in 1950, joined the First Christian Church and in 1956, after all three sons were in school, Genelle went back to work retiring after 30 years from Reed Tool Company.
Bruce grew up a Baptist, but joined First Christian Church after marriage. In 1983 Bruce and Genelle moved their membership to Thomas Avenue Baptist Church at his suggestion.
Their family grew to include two daughters-in-law, Peggy and Karlena; three grandsons, Danny, Mike (Michelle) and Jason (Jill); one granddaughter, Tracey; five great grandsons, Carson, Grant, Nathan, Jack and Stephen; one great granddaughter,-Olivia. This wonderful family filled Genelle's heart with so much love, joy and happiness. It was all she had ever dreamed of and being an only child, she cherished each and every one of them and the pleasures they brought.
Being blessed to have been raised by the greatest parents in the world, taught to love God and Country, it is easy to understand faith, family, country, friends and her church were her great loves and made her who she was.
Funeral services will be held 2:00pm, Tuesday, May 24, 2022 at Grand View Funeral Home with burial following at Grand View Memorial Park Cemetery. In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to the New Dawn Pet Adoption Center in Deer Park, Texas. Serving as pallbearers will be Jack Bryan, Jason Richardson, Mike Rannals, Danny Rannals, Grant Rannals, Carson Rannals, Nathan Giordano and Stephen Bryan.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.grandviewfunerals.com for the Rannals family.
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