Rodney Bayne Ring

Rodney Bayne Ring passed on to his heavenly resting place on May 4, 2026, in Denison, Texas. Rodney, commonly known by his friends and family as “Rocky” and/or “Rod,” was born on July 10, 1957, in St. Louis, Missouri. Rocky and his wife Debbie (Massey) Ring shared forty-two years of their lives together. They raised their children Nicole and Danielle and have grandchildren Austen, Dillon, Lauren, Adrian, Carter, and Myka. While working in Afghanistan, Rocky developed a close relationship with his security detail Shoaib, resulting in an extension to his family as honorary parents to Shoaib and his wife Aumriya, as well as honorary grandparents to their seven children. Rocky joined the United States Army when he was 17 years young and went on to serve in the USA and South Korea as a radio operator. After the Army, Rocky had a lengthy career in telecommunications, where he pursued jobs all over the country, including moves to Florida, Ohio, Massachusetts, California, and Texas. He and his wife Debbie incorporated and led a telecommunications contracting company, R.B. Ring Co in San Marcos, Texas. RB Ring Co employed 50+ people for more than decade. Rocky returned to civil service in 2001. His orders allowed Rocky and Debbie to live in South Korea and Germany before Rocky’s completion of five tours of duty in Afghanistan. He retired from the Army Corps of Engineers in 2018. Rocky valued hard work and supporting others and balanced this out by pursuing fun outings with his family. He and Deb enjoyed years of working and traveling abroad. Some of their favorite places to visit were Phuket, Thailand; Manila, Philippines; Paris, France; Amsterdam, Netherlands and Maui, Hawaii. Rocky was always drawn to the water. He preferred to live and play near bodies of water. Water activities he loved were; deep-sea fishing in Cabo San Lucas, captaining leisurely boat rides, towing the grandkids around the lake on the giant tube, and thrill seeking on wave runners. These thrills included one fearful occasion when Deb and a grandson sunk a wave runner in the middle of Canyon Lake. During a maiden voyage on Lake Texoma, he and an uncle lost the key to a new waver running while skidding across the lake, oopsies. Rocky also loved barbequing for his family and friends all over the world. His neighbors in South Korea and Germany would peek over the backyard fences and ask for a share of the smoked meat hours before it was ready. Rocky loved sharing stories and creating memories with a glass of his chicken whiskey and friends at his side. Rocky’s stories were all kind-hearted and often induced laughs with, and often at those he loved. In retirement, Rocky liked driving out to their place in Willis and enjoying the Oklahoma sunrise on his lawn mower. He was busy building a new cabin on the property in the country and had plans to start RVing across the US with Deb. He was always working on side hustle or some other project. Rocky did not pay full list price for many things. He would have negotiated better discounts on his final arrangements for sure. Just 5 years ago Rocky fought and survived stage 4 lung cancer. Last year, he survived a major stroke but struggled through complications for 8 months before finding rest. More than anything else Rocky loved time with his family and friends and requested we continue to celebrate his life by sharing stories and laughing together. Rocky was preceded in death by his parents L.P. and Marie, and his two older brothers: Jerry of Wichita, Kansas and Ron of San Antonio, Texas. Rocky leaves behind by his wife Debbie of Durant, Oklahoma; daughter Nicole and her husband Eric, grandchildren Austen, Dillon, and Lauren of Monument, Colorado. Danielle and her husband Mattie, grandchildren Adrian, Carter and Myka of Spring, Texas. Honorary son Shoaib and his wife Aumriya, seven grandchildren of San Antonio, Texas; He further leaves behind niece Jene and her husband Tom of Bulverde, Texas; great nephew Tyler and his wife Hannah of Tampa, Florida; great niece Courtney and her husband Tyler, great-great niece Georgia of San Antonio, Texas; nephew Chance and his wife Lisa of Colorado Springs, Colorado; great nephew Zachary and great-great nephew Michael of Colorado Springs, Colorado; nieces Kim, Shawna, and Tammy and their families of Kansas and Missouri; cousin Tunk and family of Indiana; cousin Tony and family of St. Louis, as well as many more cousins of Missouri, and friends all around the world. Rocky was cremated under the direction of Brown’s Funeral and Cremation Service in Durant, Oklahoma. Memorial service will be held at 2:00pm on Friday, July 10th, 2026 at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church located at 427 W. Woodard Street in Denison, Texas. Guests are encouraged to wear blue attire in memory of Rodney’s love for boating. Committal and Inurnment to follow with United States Army Honors at: Willis Cemetery 4193 US 377 Kingston OK, 73439 (adjacent to the Megastar Casino) Celebration of Life to follow services at the cemetery: Details will be shared when available

Rodney Bayne Ring

July 10, 1957 - May 4, 2026