Dwayne Basinger

Dwayne was born to Millard and Margaret Basinger in Harrah, Oklahoma on January 24, 1940. He was the oldest of five children. He was a loving husband, father, and grandfather. Dwayne was a veteran of the United States Air Force, and retired home builder.

Dwayne graduated from McLoud, Oklahoma High School in 1958. His first job during school was delivering newspapers in McLoud on his bicycle. In 1959 at the age of 19, Dwayne enlisted and served in the United States Air Force, where he served honorably in the United States and Ankara, Turkey.

In 1964 he met and married Martha Louise Sedberry on December 27, 1964.They were married for 58 years.

After marrying and starting a family, Dwayne attended 13 years of night school to earn his BA degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He did so while working full-time for the U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons. While with the Bureau, he worked in the Chaplin's office of the El Reno Federal Reformatory, and then traveled as a Federal Jail Inspector. Following that, he had a second career as a construction contractor in Arkansas, utilizing skills he learned from his father. Dwayne built more than one dream home for his family.

Dwayne is survived by his wife, Martha; his sister, Carolyn Sue McMillon and her husband, Larry; and his brother, Dean Basinger. Dwayne is survived by his daughters, Mendy Kate Davis, and her husband, Jim, and Suzy Basinger Rickard, and her husband, Greg. He is survived by his grandchildren, James McKay Davis, Sydney Grace Davis, Paul Everitt Rickard, and Andrew Dwayne Rickard, all of whom inherited his love of the outdoors. He leaves behind numerous relatives and close friends.

Dwayne is preceded in death by his parents, his brother, Paul Basinger, and his sister Ellen Roye.

Once asked what is the best piece of advice he could give, Dwayne said, "Get a job doing what you like and do your best at it." In that spirit, the family would like to thank all the excellent, caring staff at Texoma Medical Center in Denison, Texas.

Dwayne's ashes will be interred at Rest Hills Memorial Park, in North Little Rock, Arkansas. The family will hold a memorial service on Saturday, September 23, 2023 at 3:00 p.m. Memorials may be made to the American Heart Association at www.heart.org. www.griffinleggettresthills.com.