Joel Merrel Siler Jr. was born June 24, 1928 in the University Hospital at Oklahoma City to Joel Merrel Siler and Stella Blackwell Redding Siler. His mother taught him to read and swim by age 5 and introduced him to the game of golf at age 12. They had many memorable golf games together in her lifetime.

Joel was educated in the Oklahoma City school system except for two years at Marion Military Institute in Marion, Alabama. After three years in the Air Force, he continued his education at Oklahoma City University and Oklahoma University, College of Law, graduating in 1954 with and LLB degree. He married Helen Agnes Weeks in 1962.

Although a member of the Oklahoma Bar Association for many years, he actively practiced law only during the years 1982 to 1989 in Kay County, Oklahoma area. Most of his adult life was as a Landman, Land or Right of Way Agent, and much of that with Coates Field Service, Inc. out of Oklahoma City. His talent was primarily as a land record searcher, having worked in many states while on contract with a variety of land contracts. Some of the places he lived while in that activity were Deposit, New York; Casper, Wyoming; Tonkawa, Oklahoma; Denver, Colorado; Baltimore, Maryland; Chattanooga, Tennessee; Houston and Longview, Texas. Despite extensive travel and resident moves, Joel and Helen loved homemaking, family and church activities.

Joel is survived by Helen Siler and four children; James Thomas Siler of Signal Mountain, Tennessee; Joel Merrel Siler III of Mustang, Oklahoma; Byron Gerald Siler of Percasi, Pennsylvania; and Stella Theresa Weishaar of Longview, Texas. He is also survived by ten grandchildren and eight great grandchildren.

Joel died on September 21, 2021 at the Longview Texas Nursing Facility and requested cremation and that his ashes be placed with a monument at the family plot in the Oddfellow Cemetery at Tonkawa, Oklahoma.