Oran was the third child of William Marion and Willie Anna Farrar Whiteis. Oran was born in Exeter, Missouri. At the age of two or three, his family moved to Fairland in the Oklahoma Territory. When he was seven or eight, the family settled in Tulsa. When Oran was five years old, his mother died. He was in the care of his brother Armie until they had a stepmother, Molly, in 1901. Oran was an elementary grade student in the old Standpipe Schoolhouse. At an early adolescent age, he went with his brothers, Bert and Armie, to Montana. They worked for awhile on the railroad, just as their father had done in his early years. When they returned to Tulsa, Oran worked with his father in the sand and construction business. Oran Leroy became known in Tulsa as a stonemason and as a trucking contactor. He emulated the career of his father, Bill; his grandfather, Roswell; his great-grandfather, Jeremiah; and his great-great-grandfather from Wales. In this way, the tradition of the mason and construction work was carried through 160 years of the Whiteis family in America. Oran established a reputation as an innovative and responsible businessman. He and his brother, Bert, bought the first two motor-driven trucks in Tulsa. He was known as honest and sincere in his relationships with contractors and builders. For Oran Leroy, life was a matter of hard work. His major diversion was fishing. Oran and Willetta May White were married at Tulsa on Oct. 26, 1914. Oran and Willetta had five children.
Oran was the third child of William Marion and Willie Anna Farrar Whiteis. Oran was born in Exeter, Missouri. At the age of two or three, his family moved to Fairland in the Oklahoma Territory. When he was seven or eight, the family settled in Tulsa. When Oran was five years old, his mother died. He was in the care of his brother Armie until they had a stepmother, Molly, in 1901. Oran was an elementary grade student in the old Standpipe Schoolhouse. At an early adolescent age, he went with his brothers, Bert and Armie, to Montana. They worked for awhile on the railroad, just as their father had done in his early years. When they returned to Tulsa, Oran worked with his father in the sand and construction business. Oran Leroy became known in Tulsa as a stonemason and as a trucking contactor. He emulated the career of his father, Bill; his grandfather, Roswell; his great-grandfather, Jeremiah; and his great-great-grandfather from Wales. In this way, the tradition of the mason and construction work was carried through 160 years of the Whiteis family in America. Oran established a reputation as an innovative and responsible businessman. He and his brother, Bert, bought the first two motor-driven trucks in Tulsa. He was known as honest and sincere in his relationships with contractors and builders. For Oran Leroy, life was a matter of hard work. His major diversion was fishing. Oran and Willetta May White were married at Tulsa on Oct. 26, 1914. Oran and Willetta had five children.
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