Jerry Lowell Tennyson

Jerry Lowell Tennyson, 86, of Newalla, Oklahoma, passed away on March 21, 2024, after a strenuous battle with dementia.  He was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on December 25, 1937, to Raymond and Marvel Tennyson.  He had two older siblings, Arlen and Robert Tennyson.

In 1955, at age 16, Jerry met and married his first wife, Carolyn Gibson, and they had two sons—Tony born in 1955 and Randall born in 1957.  At age 17, he was drafted into the United States Army and served two years.   Jerry and Carolyn divorced in 1959.   

Jerry met and married Kaye Selsor in 1960.  After living in Albuquerque, New Mexico, for two years, they moved back to Oklahoma City in 1962 where Jerry pursued his hairdressing career at Central State Beauty School.  He rented his first hair salon shop in 1963, and purchased and built his own shop in 1966.   His salon became one of the highest rated salons in the city at that time.  Jerry and Kaye had a daughter, Michelle, in 1966.  In 1970 he went to heat and air school and ran a shop out of his home while managing the hair salon.  He also became a Mason.  Jerry and Kaye divorced in 1972.

In 1977, Jerry rented out the hair salon and went into the oil business with his two sons.  He met and married Danna Peller in 1980, and they had a son, Brett, in 1982.  In 1984, Jerry left the oil business and moved to Guthrie, Oklahoma, where he purchased rental property for his retirement income.  He and Danna divorced in the late 1990’s.

Besides being a landlord and buying and selling cars, Jerry enjoyed fishing, going to flea markets and swap meets, collecting tools and knickknacks, chewing on cigars, smoking a pipe, fiddling with and fixing cars, charging his car batteries, watching westerns and criminal minds, and obsessing over the weather.  He was a huge animal lover and enjoyed rescuing dogs.

Jerry was preceded in death by his parents, Raymond and Marvel Tennyson; oldest brother, Arlen; cousins, Thelma and Herbert Kimball; and many much-loved pets.

Jerry is survived by his sons, Tony, Randall, and Brett Tennyson; daughter, Michelle Griffith; grandchildren—Lainey, Merrissa, Kirstyn, Heather, Mandi, Dylan, Lance, and Rachel; many great grandchildren, with another great grandchild and his first great great grandchild on the way; brother,

Robert Tennyson; his beloved dogs, Maggie and Lola; many other family members, and a host of friends.

A memorial service will be held Thursday, April 4, 2024, 1:00 p.m., at AE Funeral Services Chapel, 603 W. Independence St., Shawnee, Oklahoma 74804.