Family of Oklahoma gas well explosion victim says he showed 'how awesome of a man he was'

Authorities release names of 5 victims

Family of Oklahoma gas well explosion victim says he showed 'how awesome of a man he was'

Authorities release names of 5 victims

Hide Transcript Show Transcript
WEBVTT BRET?BRET: THIS IS JUST ONE OF THESTATE AGENCIES THAT WILLDETERMINE IF SOMETHING DIFFERENTCOULD HAVE BEEN DONE TO PREVENTTHIS TRAGEDY FROM HAPPENING.AND WE'RE HEARING FROM ONE OFTHE VICTIMS FAMILY MEMBERS.>> HE ALWAYS DID WHAT WAS BESTOR HIS WIFE'S KIDS.BRET: HE IS TALKING ABOUT ROGERCUNNINGHAM.THE MAN HE CONSIDERED A SECONDFATHER WHO INJURED HIS LIFE WHENHE WAS A TEENAGER AFTER HISBIOLOGICAL FATHER DIED.RYNE SAID ROGER STEPPED IN AVERY CRITICAL POINT IN HIS LIFE.>> HE WAS A GOOD, OLD-FASHIONEDCOUNTRY BOY.HE WOULD ALWAYS BE THERE TO DOTHE THINGS NOBODY ELSE WANTED TODO.HE WOULD DRIVE A COUPLE HOURS TOPICK YOU UP WHEN YOU LOST YOURKEYS IN YOUR CAR.BRET: HE SAYS HE WAS ALSO AHARD-WORKING MAN IN THE OILFIELDS.WE FACE KIND TUESDAY AFTERNOON-- FACETIMED TUESDAY AFTERNOON,AS RYNE WAS COMING BACK TOOKLAHOMA FROM THE DOMINICANREPUBLICAN.THIS FAMILY IS DEVASTATED AFTERHEARING ABOUT MONDAY'S TRAGEDY.POLICE FOUND THE REMAINS OF ALLFIVE VICTIMS WHO ARE MISSINGYESTERDAY.
Family of Oklahoma gas well explosion victim says he showed 'how awesome of a man he was'

Authorities release names of 5 victims

The remains of five people who disappeared after an oil well explosion Monday in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma have been found.

Advertisement

The five people have been identified as Matt Smith, of McAlester; Parker Waldridge, of Crescent; Roger Cunningham, of Seminole; Josh Ray, of Fort Worth, Texas; and Cody Risk of Wellington, Colorado.

Cunningham's stepson, Ryne Hoey, considered Cunningham to be a second father who entered Hoey's life when he was a teenager, after his biological father died.

"Roger showed how awesome of a man he was and always did what was best for his wife's kids," Hoey said.

Hoey said Cunningham stepped in during a crucial point in his life.

"Roger was a good old-fashioned great country boy," Hoey said. "He would always be there to do things nobody would want to do, maybe to drive a couple of hours to pick you up or you locked your keys in your car."

The 55-year-old man also was a hard worker in the oilfields, specializing in horizontal drilling.

Hoey was coming back to Oklahoma from the Dominican Republic when he and his family heard the devastating news.

"We're not real confident we'll get the real closure process, like, maybe a normal grieving process," Hoey said.

Cunningham is survived by his wife, his children and his grandchildren.