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Chester Timothy Curtin
WATONGA – Chester Timothy Curtin, whose family guided the Watonga Republican and other newspapers through decades of change, died on New Year’s Eve, his family said. He was 77 years old.
Along with his father, Gerald Timothy “Cowboy” Curtin, Tim’s family owned and published the Watonga Republican for 69 years, making them the most consequential figures in the paper’s long history since the founding Fergusons.
According to his obituary, Tim Curtin came home from Oklahoma State University to take over the Republican when his father passed. He then went back and finished college at Southwestern Oklahoma State University.
Curtin was a fierce advocate for his community and was heavily involved in local organizations like the Kiwanis Club, American Legion, the Masons and the Watonga Senior Citizens Center, where he remained a member until his passing.
A few of Tim’s Senior Center friends said Tuesday afternoon that Tim was a longtime board member who never met a stranger, had a good sense of humor and was very active despite his health problems.
Curtin was also a devoted member of the First Baptist Church of Watonga.
Curtin ran the Watonga Republican until 2010, when he retired due to a cancer diagnosis. He sold the Republican and the Hinton Record to Wesner Publications, a newspaper group with western Oklahoma roots that still operates the paper to this day.
Curtin’s long oversight of the Watonga paper saw oil booms and busts, multiple changes in the local economy, and the advent of new media like 24/7 cable news and the World Wide Web.
Curtin spent his final days with his wife, Judy, and was known to pop in on the Watonga Republican offices with news tips and encouraging words.
“I’m grateful for the legacy that Tim Curtin has left us here at the paper,” said Republican editor Graham Dudley. “He has given us a lot to live up to, and we appreciate his long stewardship of this valuable community asset.”