Ernest L. Chastain, Jr.

Ernie Chastain was born in Red Oak, Iowa, in 1931, to Ernest Chastain Sr. and Nora Spicer Chastain. He passed away November 11 at St. Ann's Nursing Home in Oklahoma City. He grew up in Joplin, Missouri and graduated from Joplin High School where he played baseball and basketball. He married Darlene Erdman in 1951. She was a wonderful, supportive wife and mother. They were married for 57 happy years until she passed away in 2008. They lived in Miami, Oklahoma, for 15 years where he worked for BF Goodrich. Ernie played minor league baseball for a short time and enjoyed officiating and coaching sports, mainly for his kids. They had 3 children, Steve, David and Cheryl. They later moved to Oklahoma City where he worked in the credit union business until retirement. After Darlene passed away, Ernie married Ruth Schmitz. They were married for over 5 years. Ruth was a faithful loving wife and was always by his side, making his last years happy. Ernie dedicated his life to church and community service, primarily as a member of the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic men's charitable and fraternal organization. He served as a Grand Knight and State Deputy and held many other council and state offices. Ernie's strong Catholic faith sustained him throughout his life. He was one of the founders of the Center of Family Love in Okarche, a facility for the adult intellectually disabled, and served for many years on the board. Ernie received the Harold Wittrock Humanitarian Award in 2016 for his many years of service to the center and, in 2009, he received the KWTV Oklahoma Hero of the Year Award for his work with the disabled. He enjoyed watching baseball, the Thunder, and anything OSU. He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, Darlene, and his sisters, Bernice Force and Marjorie Jones Stapleton. He is survived by his wife, Ruth, of OKC; son, Steve and his wife Priscilla of OKC; son, David and his wife Susan of Stillwater; daughter, Cheryl Jones and her husband Scott of Stillwater; 9 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren, and Ruth's 7 children. There will be an evening prayer service 7 p.m. Thursday, November 17 and the Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Friday, November 18. Both liturgies will be held at St. Eugene Catholic Church, 2400 W. Hefner Rd., Oklahoma City, OK 73120. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Ernie's memory to the Center of Family Love, PO Box 245, Okarche, OK 73762 (www.centeroffamilylove.org) or to St. Eugene Catholic Church (www.steugenes.org) . The family would like to thank the staff at St. Ann's for their compassionate care of Ernie.