Folks, John Leroy

5/30/2021

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Leroy Folks, 91, was born on October 12, 1929, to Homer Caeser and May Theo Folks in Hydro, OK, and passed away May 30, 2021, in Stillwater, OK.  Before enrolling at Oklahoma A&M, he served as operations chief with the 45th Infantry Division, 158th Field Artillery Battalion, in Japan and Korea,  Following discharge, he earned the bachelor's and master's degrees in mathematics, with a statistics emphasis.  He subsequently earned his Ph.D. in statistics at Iowa State University.  It was here that he met the young lady, Sue, who later became his wife.  They moved to Richardson, TX, where Leroy worked at Texas Instruments for several years.  In 1961, they moved to Stillwater where Leroy began his OSU career as an associate professor in the mathematics department.  He served as chair of the statistics department for 25 years and was honored with the distinction of being named a Regents Service Professor, retiring in 1998.  He was a Life Fellow of the American and International Statistical Association and the Royal Statistical Society.  Leroy was involved with Rotary, American Legion, Meals on Wheels, Arts and Humanities Council, and First Baptist Church in Stillwater.  Leroy was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Sue; sister, Rachel; and brothers, Homer and Dale. He is survived by daughters Martha (Don) Laughlin, Karen (Damian Radice) Folks, Ellen (Joe) Ayers, and son John Martin (Michelle) Folks, as well as by nine grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.  He is also survived by his brother, Eldon, and sisters Dorothy Ewing and Marilyn Taufest, as well as by several sisters-in law:  Jean Folks, Betty Folks, Shirley Jo Martin, and Janice Martin.