William Ernest "Ernie" Bratton, Jr.

Funeral Services for William Ernest “Ernie” Bratton, Jr., 87, of Tulsa, were held Monday, June 2, 2014 at the Johnson Funeral Chapel in Sperry, OK. The Reverend Jim McCulloch officiated and burial was in the Osage Gardens Cemetery in Skiatook, OK. Casket Bearers were Bill J. Bratton, Brent L. Twist, Lou Ann Bratton-Duren, Sam R. Duren, Bob Myers, and Ray Bratton. Honorary Casket Bearers were Ernie’s shipmates of the U.S.S. Kitkun Bay CVE -71.
Arrangements and services were entrusted to Johnson Funeral Home, Sperry.

Ernie was born November 21, 1926 in Tulsa, OK to William Ernest Sr. and Sadie Marie (Lanham) Bratton. He passed away May 30, 2014 in Tulsa, OK.

Ernie was raised on his father’s allotment along Turkey Creek, Blackdog Township, in Osage County with his five brothers and one sister. He attended school at Barnsdall 55, Sperry Schools, and Haskell Indian Boarding School. While attending school at Haskell, Ernie took a course for Morse code. Ernie changed his date of birth so that he would be old enough to sign up and enlisted in the Navy on July 30, 1943. He served on the USS Kitkun Bay, CVE-71. The air squadron that he was attached to was VC-63. Ernie’s duties on the torpedo bombers (TBM’S) were as a radar operator and tail gunner. His Morse code training allowed him to be selected in boot camp for air squadron duty. Ernie was discharged on May 3, 1946. Returning home, Ernie married and started raising his family. In 1954, he started working for Douglas Aircraft and retired in 1984 from McDonnell Douglas (Boeing) Aircraft. Ernie’s work involved aircraft maintenance, as well as a heavy crane operator, working on materials for the Alaska pipeline. He was the one to call when airplanes were oversized for hangars, because he would always get them where they needed to be. Ernie received several letters of recommendations for his safety performance in driving any and all vehicles while at McDonnell Douglas. Ernie was a member of the Kihekah Steh Club, Veterans of Foreign Wars, World War II Club of Tulsa, the USS Kitkun Bay Association and the McDonnell Douglas Aircraft Retirees. Upon retirement, Ernie took up woodworking, and loved traveling the U.S., attending reunions, and most especially spending time with his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Everyone has fond stories and good memories of Ernie.

He is survived by his children, William Ernest Bratton, III and wife Diane, Thomas Lloyd Bratton, Vickie Lynn Bratton and Lou Ann (Bratton) Duren; 9 grandchildren; 6 great-grandchildren; numerous nieces, nephews and other relatives and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents, William Sr. and Sadie Bratton; first wife, Anna Bratton-Uto, second wife Marie Bratton; grandson, Christopher Scott Colton, brothers, Clarence Bratton, Gordon Bratton, Warren Bratton, Franklin Bratton, and Tell Bratton; and sister, JoAnn Bratton-Myers.