Richard West Slemaker III

Rick was born on the 17th of April 1948 in Tulsa, OK to parents Richard W. “Sonny” Slemaker, Jr and Elizabeth “Betty” White Wills. Rick attended the School of St. Mary, then Cascia Hall Preparatory School where he boarded from time to time. He graduated from Bishop Kelley High School in 1966 where he lettered in track and field. After high school, Rick volunteered for the military where he served as a combat medic for the US Army in the Vietnam War. In 1969, he received a direct commission as a 2nd Lieutenant for his combat experience. He earned many decorations during his time in the service including: The National Defense Service Medal, The Vietnam Service Medal, The Combat Medic Badge, The M-16 and M-14 Sharpshooter Badge with Rifle Bar, a Purple Heart Medal, and a Bronze Star Medal.

After returning from war in 1969 Rick married his sweetheart, Sallie Ricketts and joined the Norman Police Department as an officer, all while attending the University of Oklahoma. At OU he was a member of the Athletic Council and sports editor of the Oklahoma Daily. He received his degree in Political Science and Journalism from OU in 1973 and graduated with the Pi Sigma Alpha and Sigma Delta Chi honors of distinction.

After college, Rick and Sallie settled in Tulsa, OK to begin raising their new family. In 1988, Rick moved from Tulsa to Houston, TX where he lived an amazing life. He served as CEO and Publisher for World Media Place, LLC for more than three decades. During this time, he co-founded and was the inaugural publisher of Energy Houston Magazine and World Energy Magazine; Houston’s first energy magazines. Most recently, he was Sr. Vice President of Greffex, Inc., where he worked countless hours marketing for something he was very passionate about. He was a proponent of small business and an advocate for free enterprise in the Oil and Gas industry. If you knew Rick, you knew he was a man with an enduring can do spirit, who never gave up. He stood by the quote, "When one door closes, another opens", and if the door didn’t open, he would knock it down.

Rick enjoyed the game of Polo, Oklahoma Sooner football, The Rotary Club, and debating about politics. He was a strong member of the Republican Party. His endless support to the GOP earned him invitations to multiple presidential inaugurations through the years but he only attended two, Ronald Reagan’s second term and later George H.W. Bush. His fondness for Polo began when he was a small child, watching his father, Sonny, play polo at Southern Hills Country Club and Mohawk Park. Rick was a member of The Houston Polo Club, and he cherished the friendships he made there, while introducing many new people to the game. Most of the time he was a spectator, but he also loved playing Polo in the Margarita League. Rick was a life-member of the University of Oklahoma Alumni Association, as well as past President of the OU Alumni Club of Houston. He loved watching the Sooners dominate in almost every sport that mattered, but most of all he loved OU football. His favorite game of the year was watching OU play Texas. He loved attending games with his family and friends and watching the Pride of Oklahoma band practice before suiting up for the game. Rick was an unstoppable force for the Rotary community. He truly lived the “Service Above Self” motto. He was an incredible 11-time Rotary International Paul Harris Fellow and was presented the award for “Best Large Club President” in 2015-16 for his boundless dedication to the Houston Rotary Club.

Rick touched hundreds of lives with his positive spirit and passion for helping others. He was loved by “so many’s” and will be greatly missed. He is survived by his beloved children, Richard W. Slemaker, IV, Amie Slemaker and Charlie Slemaker (Yanjun); his granddaughters, Caroline Human, Natalie Human and Heloise Slemaker; his sisters, Mimi Bradford and her husband David, Sally Salazar and Marty Cooper; and his brothers Jim Slemaker and his wife Pam, Court Slemaker and Richard Wills, III and his wife Marissa. He is also survived by numerous cousins, nieces, nephews, and the “in-laws and outlaws”, as he would frequently say.

Friends are cordially invited to gather with the family and share remembrances of Rick from two o’clock until four o’clock in the afternoon on Sunday, the 16th of February in the grand foyer of Geo. H. Lewis & Sons, 1010 Bering Drive in Houston.

A Mass of Christian Burial is to be offered at ten o’clock in the morning on Monday, the 17th of February, at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church, 1801 Sage Road in Houston, where the Rev. Peter Wood is to officiate.

Following the service, all are invited to a reception in Rick's honor, hosted by the Downtown Rotary Club of Houston, at half past eleven o'clock in the morning at the Ballroom at Tanglewood, 5430 Westheimer Way in Houston.

An interment service with military honors is to be conducted at half past ten o'clock in the morning on Saturday, the 8th of March, at Calvary Cemetery, 9101 S Harvard Avenue in Tulsa, OK.

In lieu of customary remembrances memorial contributions may be directed to the Catholic Charities or Rotary International by selecting the icon below under “Donations”.