William 'Bill' Riley Pendergraft

William 'Bill' Riley Pendergraft, 75 of Norman, passed away peacefully on April 20, 2024, surrounded by his family. Bill was born November 12, 1948, the youngest of three brothers to Edna Mae and Arthur LeRoy Pendergraft, in Lawton Oklahoma. The family moved to Norman, Oklahoma, when Bill was in elementary school. After he graduated from Norman High School in 1967, he attended the University of Oklahoma and was enrolled in the ROTC program. Bill met the love of his life, Suzanne Boeskin, on a blind date and they married 18 months later, on March 29, 1969. Shortly thereafter, Bill enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserves and started boot camp at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

After completing basic training, he attended additional training in aircraft repair at Fort Eustis, Virgina.  He then returned to Norman in January of 1970, and took a job with the Norman Police Department (NPD). During his time with the NPD, he held the ranks of policy officer, detective, sergeant, lieutenant, and captain. While working for the NPD, Bill attended and graduated from the FBI National Academy in Quantico Virgina in1985. He also attended Oklahoma City University where he received a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice, in 1977, followed by a Master of Criminal Justice Administration, in 1979. As a captain, Bill helped facilitate a new policy that allowed officers to drive their patrol cars home at night. This policy change had a lasting effect on the Norman community and its officers as it helped build a bond between the Policy Department and the neighborhoods where the officers lived.

After serving the NPD for 20 years, Bill retired and took a job as an instructor at the Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training (CLEET). After a short 2-year stint at CLEET, Bill took a job with Braum’s Ice Cream and Dairy as their head of security where he remained for 28 years until his retirement in 2021. While working at Braum’s, Bill underwent extensive training to become a Certified Fraud Examiner. Bill often joked “who knew working for an Ice-cream company could be so exciting”. It gave him the opportunity to utilize all the skills he had accumulated over the years. Whether it be investigating robberies at one of 300+ stores, investigating corporate fraud, or tracking down cattle rustlers.

While Bill enjoyed a successful career, his biggest achievement was his family and the memories he made with them. Bill enjoyed being scout leader and coach for both of his sons. He spent countless hours in the woods, on the trails, and at the lake teaching his boys to hunt, fish and enjoy God’s creations. Their annual weeklong vacations to Lake Texoma and the Rocky Mountains of Colorado were some of their favorite outdoor adventures. Later in life, Bill enjoyed hosting his grandchildren at the lake while spoiling them with ice cream and Oreos. Another family tradition that Bill passed down was his love of OU football. He began attending OU football games with his mother in 1957, at the age of 9 and continued to do so faithfully until his last at the Alamo Bowl on December 28, 2023, with his wife Suzanne.  

Bill was preceded in death by his parents; and his brothers, Perry and Ronnie Pendergraft. Bill is survived by his wife of 55 years, Suzanne; son, Rick and his wife Christi, and their children Isabella, William, and Thomas; and son, Roy, and his daughters Katelynn (her children Magnolia and Memphis), Kamden, and Chesney; and sister-in-law, Pamela Pendergraft; and sister-in-law, Pamela Gutierrez and her husband Mike; niece, Cindy Smith, and her children Mackenzie and Branden; nephews, Craig Pendergraft, and Brandon Pendergraft and his wife Kathleen, and their children Cade and Dillon; and nieces, Tori Jasek and her husband Luke, and Sara and Martin Salas.

Family requests that memorial gifts be made in support of Toby Keith Foundation Kids Corral, www.tobykeithfoundation.org/donations. Checks made payable to “The Toby Keith Foundation” can be mailed to: 818 N.E. 8th Street Oklahoma City OK 73104, in memory of Bill Pendergraft.