Name Robert Fiddler | ||
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Robert James Fiddler was a former mayor and council member of Ramona, Oklahoma. Fiddler was born March 24, 1931 in Ramona, Oklahoma to Harry and Leota (Blevins) Fiddler, the first of four children. He was baptized at Ochelata Methodist Church, and received his education in Ramona, graduating from high school there in 1950. He married Nancy Kelley in 1962 and had two children, James and Alayna.
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Employment
After graduating from high school, Fiddler went to work for Phillips Petroleum Company in Bartlesville,Oklahoma. He retired in 1972 due to a disability. He worked for several years as a volunteer for the Washington County Head Start before becoming employed as an appraiser for the Washington County Assessor's Office. He retired form the Assessor's Office in 1993, remaining retired with the exception of a short stint working at Washington Park mall.
Korean War
Fiddler entered the Army in 1952 and served in Japan during the Korean War as a dispatcher with AGAC. He earned the rank of Corporal; however, after a bar fight he was demoted to Private First Class. In spite of this, Fiddler was honorably discharged in 1954. He remained active in the American Legion, Fisk-Leffler Post 334 for many years.
Service as Mayor and Council Member
Fiddler served two terms as mayor of Ramona, Oklahoma and several terms as Council Member. While in these capacities, he returned Ramona's budget to the black and was instrumental in reinstating the defunct police department, replacing the water lines, securing natural gas service to the Wal-Mart distribution center north of town, and accepting a grant from the Cherokee Nation to repave the streets.
Final Years
Early in the 2000s, Fiddler was diagnosed with prostate cancer. In spite of several rounds of radiation, the cancer spread to the bones and muscle. In 2008, Fiddler became bedridden and spent his last months at Forest Manor Nursing Home in Dewey, Oklahoma where he died on July 20, 2008. He was cremated and his ashes interred at the cemetery in Ochelata, Oklahoma.