Lester Allen Read

Lester Allen Read, beloved husband, and father, passed peacefully Sunday morning, August 18, 2024. He was 79 years old. Viewing will be from 3:00 PM to 8:00 PM, Wednesday, August 21, 2024, at Trout Funeral Home, with the family present between 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM. A Funeral Ceremony will be held at 10:00 AM, Thursday, August 22, 2024, at the Trout Funeral Home Chapel. Burial will follow at the Kansas Veterans Cemetery in Winfield, KS. Arrangements are under the direction of Trout Funeral Home & Cremation Service of Tonkawa, 505 Thunderbird Rd, Tonkawa, OK 74653.

Al, as he friends knew him, graduated Tulsa’s Central High School, enlisted in the US Navy and served as an electrician on the USS Prichett during the Vietnam Conflict and was Honorably Discharged. He married his sweetheart, Beverly Ann Read, who pre-deceased Allen. He is survived by his son, David Allen Read, and his grandson, Brendan Wade Read.

He attended Connor State College studying Police Science. He served twenty years in the Tulsa Police Department, and ten more years with the campus police of Tulsa Junior College. On retirement, Al, pursued his love of food and feeding people by buying Mary’s Café in Tonkawa, Oklahoma. He perfected the art of smoking poultry and meats. His other delights, such as his 3” tall cinnamon rolls, will be the included in the upcoming book of recipes. Al developed and manufactured Uncle Bubby’s Bar-B-Q sauce for retail sales. Al worked with a Hollywood film production company to release a YouTube training video titled, SMOKIN’ WITH UNCLE BUBBY.

Al could always be counted on to donate his delicious cuisine to local causes and events in Tonkawa. All Al needed to know was when, where and how many. Al also explored farming for years on Jay Messenger’s acreage to the delight of the Messenger family.

Though Al was battling Stage Three liver cancer, he prepared twenty-eight of his cinnamon rolls to thank his nurses for their care. After a great life Al bravely faced the cancer moving through his body until the day he died. Al always had a smile and a twinkle in his eye for those coming to visit. Those final days were Al’s victory lap before taking his Bar-B-Q skills to heaven.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Tulsa Police Officer’s Memorial, 6066 E 66th St N, Tulsa, OK 74117.