By Mindy Wood
Staff Writer
A beloved Okarche resident has been honored posthumously thanks to colleagues who loved him and worked alongside him.
Governor Kevin Stitt signed House Bill 2311 to rename Cimarron Bridge as the Landon L. Endres Memorial Bridge. The bridge passes over Interstate 40 at Cimarron Road in Baker’s district. The measure was authored by state Rep. Rhonda Baker (R-Yukon).
Landon Lee Endres was a co-owner and operator of Frontier Bridge with Raymond Flatt. Their company is the contractor of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation hired to complete the Cimarron bridge reconstruction project.
Flatt initiated the renaming of the bridge along with two colleagues Endres knew well, Bobby Stem, executive director of the Association of Oklahoma General Contractors (AOGC) and fellow member Avery Frix.
Endres was a member of the ACOG and a founding member of the Bridge Club for those who serve the construction industry with an emphasis on building and repairing the state’s bridges.
Flatt said he noticed that bridges are named for notable people and wanted to see Endres honored as someone who contributed to the industry and his colleagues.
“The construction industry lost a hero,” Flatt said. “He was extremely hard working. A very honest man. Loved his family. He was a great business partner and an exceptional person.”
Endres died July 11, 2017 in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico at the age of 40. He was born Nov. 19, 1976, in Okarche. He was a graduate of Okarche High School and Oklahoma State University, where he received a bachelor’s degree in construction management. He was a member of Holy Trinity Church in Okarche and of the Knights of Columbus.
At the time of his death, Endres was survived by his wife, Tresa, and their children, Tyson, Cody and Blake Endres; as well as his parents, siblings and other relatives.
Each year, Oklahoma lawmakers author legislation to rename state-owned assets, such as roadways or bridges, to honor of people in their legislative districts. Individual bills are then combined into an omnibus bill.
