It is with love and happy memories that we celebrate the life of Billy Lee Crynes (1938-2026). Always with a smile on his face and ready with a joke, an encouraging word or a kind gesture, Billy was truly a joyful light that brightened many, many lives.
Billy was a proud graduate of Gerstmeyer Technical High School (Terre Haute, IN 1956), Rose Hulman Institute of Technology (B.S. 1962) and Purdue University (Ph.D. 1967). He dedicated his professional career to higher education serving as Chair of the Chemical Engineering Department at Oklahoma State University (1978-1987) and then Dean of the College of Engineering at the University of Oklahoma (1987-1998). Dean Crynes was welcomed into the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame in 2007.
Billy was preceded in death by the love of his life, soulmate and wife of 63 years, Mary in 2021. They are survived by three sons, Lawrence, David and Stephen, seven grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.
A celebration of Billy’s life will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, August 17 at McFarlin Methodist Church in Norman, Oklahoma.
The family requests that memorial gifts be made in support of the Billy and Mary Crynes Engineering Scholarship Fund (#41207) at the University of Oklahoma. Donations can be made through the link: https://securelb.imodules.com/s/1720/21/form.aspx?sid=1720&gid=2&pgid=2243&cid=6019&dids=5692&bledit=1
Checks made payable to the “OU Foundation” can be mailed to: The University of Oklahoma Foundation P.O. Box 258856 Oklahoma City, OK 73125-8856.
