LORENE HARRELL OLIVER, 94, of Ranger, TX passed
away on Jan. 25, 2012, with burial at Evergreen
Cemetery in Ranger.
Mrs. Oliver was born on June 23, 1917 to Robert
Emil & Ida Frances Vaughn Harrell in Grand Saline,
TX. Her family moved to Ranger in 1920. She
attended Cooper Elementary School, and graduated
from Ranger High School in the Class of 1933 and
Ranger Junior College. Lorene graduated from the
University of Texas in Austin with a Bachelor of
Science in Education and Masters of Education from
Abilene Christian University in Abilene. She married
Howard H. Oliver in July of 1937 at Fort Worth.
Lorene worked for the Ranger Independent School
District as a teacher from 1937 to 1942 and then
for the Southwestern Peanut Growers Association in
Gorman as Secretary of Farm Machinery Department
from June 1942 through August 1945. She then
returned to Ranger Independent School District as
an Elementary Teacher at Young Elementary School
for 33 years, and as an Elementary Principal at
Young Elementary and Ranger Elementary School for
10 years. She taught Adult Education Classes from
1972 through 1976 and served as a member of the
RISD Board of Trustees from 1984 through 1992. She
served one year as Board Secretary and four years
as Board President. She had a total of 51 years
service with the RISD and was presented a 50 Year
Service Pin from RISD in 1991 by Jerry Jackson,
Superintendent. Lorene also served as Secretary
of the Board of Regents at Ranger College from
1994 through 2005.
Lorene was a member of the First Baptist Church of
Ranger, was a past Matron and a fifty plus year
member of the Ranger Chapter #275 Order of the
Eastern Star, and a past president of the new Era
Club. She was a charter member and past president
of the Beta Sigma Phi Sorority and a member of the
Delta Kappa Gamma Texas Beta Upsilon. She was also
a member of the Texas Elementary Principal and
Supervision Association, Texas State Teachers
Association, University Texas Ex-Students Association
and the Ranger Exes Association. Lorene was a charter
member & director of the Ranger Historical Preservation
Society and also a member of the Lions Club. She was
recognized as Outstanding Alumnus, Ranger Jr. College
in 1993 and she receive Alumnus of the Year in 1994
in recognition for the work done for the Ranger High
School Ex-Students Association. She was selected for
inclusion in the Directory of Distinguished Americans,
Third Edition for the Service to the Community by the
American Biographical Institute.
Lorene is preceded in death by her husband, Howard
H. Oliver; her parents, Robert Emil Harrell and Ida
Frances Vaughn Harrell; her sister, Inez Harrell
Bourdeau (RHS-1937); her brother-in-law, Bill Bourdeau
(RHS-1936); and a step-son, Howard H. Oliver, Jr.
(RHS-1956).
She is survived by a daughter, Dorothy Ann Oliver
(RHS-1967) & husband Mike Fisher (RHS-1961) of
Eastland; a grandson, Rodney Howard Fisher (RHS-
1989) of Eastland; and a great-grandson, Jerrod
Howard Fisher of Cisco, TX.