Richard “Rick” Clifton Ewing died on May 19, 2026, in Oklahoma City.
Services will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 23, 2026 at Trinity United Methodist Church in Purcell. Interment will be at Hillside Cemetery in Purcell under the direction of Wilson-Little Funeral Home in Purcell.
Rick was born on March 11, 1949, in Purcell, Oklahoma, to parents Nolie Howard Ewing and Daisy Pearl “Topsy” Ewing.
Though he was a Purcell boy through and through, Rick spent a memorable chapter of his early childhood living in Okinawa, Japan, where his father was stationed following his service in World War II.
Rick graduated from Purcell High School in 1967. To say Rick Ewing simply “loved” football is an understatement; he lived and breathed it. From pee wee football on the playground at the Mary Simpson School to weight training in the Purcell High School gym his commitment to football only grew.
He went on to play football at both East Central University and Palo Verde College before achieving his dream of playing Division 1 College Football for the University of Tulsa Golden Hurricanes where he was also chosen as Captain of the Special teams. And no matter how far football took him, he always came back to play in the “Armadillo Bowl,” a semiannual football game between current and former Purcell High School football players.
Rick Ewing devoted nearly 30 years to the Oklahoma Department of Corrections as a Counselor, guided by an unwavering belief that every incarcerated person deserved to be seen and treated with dignity. His commitment to that principle left a lasting mark on his children, who learned through his example that empathy for the vulnerable is not just a virtue — it is a responsibility.
Rick Ewing was a proud and outspoken Oklahoma Democrat who along with his brother and sister kept alive an almost 100-year-long family tradition of voting for Democratic candidates dating all the way back to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. He took great pleasure in publicly expressing his political opinions in the form of Letters to the Editor in the Oklahoma Observer.
Rick loved Sharon, his wife of 49 years, and all of his family dearly. A lifetime of family trips to Port Aransas provided some of his favorite memories and stories he would tell throughout his life. He was an avid OU fan and loved getting together with family or friends to watch their games. He was a captivating storyteller and enjoyed regaling anyone in his presence with a tale that would garner a laugh. Over the last six years there was nothing Rick loved more than spending time with his cherished granddaughter, Adelaide.
Rick is survived by his wife, Sharon Ewing; his daughter, Amanda Ewing and her husband, Sean Wallace; his son, Jackson Ewing and his wife, Ariel; his sister, Nancy Ewing Friedman and her husband, Harry, and their son, Spencer Friedman; his brother, Noah Ewing and his wife, Ann, and their sons, Eli Ewing and his wife, Elizabeth, and Alex Ewing and his wife, Jennifer; his grandchildren, Adelaide Ewing Wallace, George Wallace, Tallulah Wallace and Truman Wallace; and the many cousins and friends he held near and dear to his heart.