H.A. Kelly Kilgore Obituary (1931

H.A. Kelly Kilgore, 80, of Hooker, Oklahoma passed away April 26, 2012 at Southwest Medical Center in Liberal, Kansas. Hugh Ardin (H. A. / Kelly) Kilgore was born May 16, 1931 in Wilburton, Kansas to Hugh C. and Eunice E. Kilgore. In 1932 the family moved to homestead in Texas County, Oklahoma. He first attended the Phoenix rural school which was then located on the Adams road correction line. At age seven Kelly began school in Hooker where he attended the next 11 years, graduating from HHS in 1949. While in school he met Elnora Bollinger, and they were married in 1949. During the Korean conflict he enlisted in the Air Force. The Air Force took them to San Antonio, Amarillo, and Selma, AL. Immediately after his discharge, the Kilgores returned to Hooker where he lived until his death. Four children were born, Terry Alan, Mary Karen, Shawn Kelly, and Keith Ardin. After Kelly returned from the Air Force, he worked for his father in-law at Bollinger Chevrolet. In 1961, he opened Kilgore Motor Parts and started farming. In 1968, he bought the Chevrolet dealership and operated it for almost 10 years. Kelly was civic-minded and very fond of Hooker. He contributed continually to worthwhile causes and worked on community projects. Kellys service, public and personal, included being a deacon at Hooker First Baptist Church, serving on the city council for four years, and being elected Mayor of Hooker for 16 years. He was a volunteer fireman for 20 years and fire chief for two as well as a member and Deputy District Governor of the Lions Club service organization. Kelly was involved with the Chamber of Commerce as owner of Kilgore Farm, Home, and Auto Store. He also managed the Jaycees Theater for three years, belonged to the Bulldog Booster Club, Hooker American Legion, and was an ambulance crew member. Kelly was selected an Outstanding Young Man of America in 1965. Kelly served on the Board of Directors of First National Bank of Hooker, Panhandle Telephone Cooperative, Inc., Eaglenet, and Oklahoma Economic Development Association. He was part of a group that founded the Bank of the Panhandle in Guymon and served on its Board of Directors. Kellys legacy is manifest in the respect and admiration his descendants harbor for him and his memory. He embodied the Christian and American ethics of hard work, honesty, and personal investment. He was no stranger to dirt and elbow grease, but he also pursued wisdom and integrity as he directed the causes that concerned him. His friends and acquaintances knew him as one who always had a smile, a genuine greeting, and a joke or story told with a particular smirk. He was the consummate family man as he taught and encouraged his children in their education, sports, and work. But more than that, he demonstrated the importance of family by the time and investment he made in his own something that each person carries as a central piece of his or her value system. Most of all, he loved the Lord and served Him in his house. He is survived by sons Terry and Janice Kilgore of Liberal, KS; Shawn and Sandra Kilgore of Pilot Point, TX; Keith and Terri Kilgore of Atlanta, GA; grandsons Brandon and Kim Kilgore; Trey and Courtney Kilgore; Ethan, Zachary, Micah and Noah Kilgore; granddaughter Samantha and William Reinier; great grandchildren, Aubrey and Malachi Kilgore and special friend Alvera White. He was preceded in death by his wife of 48 years, Elnora; his daughter, Karen, his parents Hugh and Eunice Kilgore, and sister Earline Scott. Funeral services were 10 a.m. Monday April 30, 2012 at the First Baptist Church in Hooker with Brother Jim Roebuck and Eddy Scoggins officiating. Interment was in the Hooker Cemetery directed by Roberts Brothers Funeral Home in Hooker, Oklahoma. Memorials are suggested to the charity of the donors choice.