Family Remembers Oilton Man Killed In Saturday's Storms

Every county in Oklahoma suffered damage in Saturday night's storms. But in the tiny community of Oilton, the devastation was worse: one person lost their life. And it's a tragedy that has reached our own News 9 family. 

As the storm moved into Oilton, in Creek County right about Midnight Saturday night, the winds started spiking.

Meteorologist Lacey Swope spent her career warning folks for just these types of situations. The next morning, she got the call that not only did someone die in the storm, but it was her cousin: John Molder.

“He took no greater pride than being a father,” said John’s sister Andrea.

Molder, his 7-year-old son Leevi, 5-year-old daughter Logan and pregnant wife Ashley were all huddled in their bed.

John's parents live just right up the road, and his dad was watching the storm move in.

“He called John and said, ‘Hey John, it’s gonna be really bad. You need to get out of there.”

But John and his family decided to stay.

“Kids are in bed, they’re cuddled up. We’ll be fine,” Andrea says her brother told their dad.

But straight-line west winds of over 100 miles per hour came in before any rain. That’s equivalent to an EF1 tornado or Category 1 hurricane. The winds pushed three large trees over onto John’s home. Right onto their bedroom.

“It came down on all of them,” said Andrea.

The 5-year-old was the only one who wasn't trapped.

“My sister-in-law who is 26 weeks pregnant tries to get herself out of there.”

So many trees were down, first responders couldn't even see the front door of the home. The kids were scratched up and little Leevi needed stitches but they were okay.

“I don’t know how they made it out, there’s just limbs in that house, just trees,”

John was not.

“I believe that he is the reason they are all alive,” says Andrea.

On father's day, two kids and another on the way lost their dad, the family's sole breadwinner and everything they own.

For those wanting to help here is a link to a GoFundMe set up by the family.