Charles Kimsey

Colonel (ret.) Charles Leon Kimsey, 98, passed away Friday, October 5, 2012, at his home in Platte City, MO. Funeral services will be held 11:00 a.m., Saturday, October 13, 2012, at Carson - Stapp Funeral Home in Ogden, Iowa. Rev. Dennis Shepherd will officiate. Burial will be at Pilot Mound Cemetery in Pilot Mound. Visitation will be Saturday, from 10:00 a.m., until time of service at the funeral home. The family suggests contributions be given to: NorthCare Hospice & Palliative Care, 2900 Clay Edwards Dr., N.K.C., MO 64116. Leon was born August 11, 1914 in Pilot Mound, IA to Bert Oscar and Sadie Louella (Buttolph) Kimsey. He was raised in Pilot Mound, where he was a graduate of the Pilot Mound High School and was a longtime member of the Pilot Mound Methodist Church, where he later served as board member. Leon married Marian Elizabeth Maxim on January 23, 1943 in Yuma, AZ. Leon served his country in the U.S. Army through an extensive military career, earning the rank of Colonel. As commander of the XI U.S. Army Corps' Northern Illinois Sector Command, he was awarded the Joint Service Commendation Medal for meritorious achievement in the Dominican Republic. Leon served in the Dominican Republic during the period May 1- 7, 1965, as Army operations officer with Staff Joint Task Force 122 in "Operation Power Pack." Commissioned in the Army Reserve in 1938, he entered active duty as a platoon leader in 1940. Leon was a World War II veteran of the Normandy, northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes, and central Europe campaigns. After serving as recruiter for the Iowa Recruiting District from 1946 to 1949, he was assigned to Greece. In 1950 he went to the European Command. Subsequent assignments included battalion commander, 702nd Armored Infantry Battalion, 1st Armored Division, Ft. Hood, TX; battalion commander, regiment executive officer, 23rd Infantry Division in Korea, and operations officer, X Corps, Korea. After tenure as Infantry adviser and senior Army adviser to the Indiana National Guard, he went to Ft. Amador, Canal Zone, as U.S. Army Caribbean Command Inspector General, where he remained until his assignment to XI Corps. Leon was very proud of his military career, especially his unit, the 51st Armored Infantry Battalion, and 4th Army Division of Patton's 3rd Army. The many medals he received include 2 Silver Stars, 4 Bronze Stars, the Purple Heart, the Legion of Merit and many from foreign governments for service. He showed continuing support for his country, and community as a member of the American Legion Post #16 of Pilot Mound, IA; the Masonic Lodge; the 4th Armored Division Association; charter membership of the W.W. II Memorial in Washington, D.C.; and as a sponsor of the Ronald Reagan Library. In later years, Leon fulfilled his lifetime dream of building his dream home in Pilot Mound, IA, located in the rolling hills timber. He took great pride in the construction of his home, which featured cherry wood paneling; and in his restoration of the timber, wildflowers, and wildlife, surrounding his home. Leon was preceded in death by: his parents; his son Charles "Tad" Kimsey, Jr. (1981); and his sisters Fern, Lavonne, Sadie, and Arleen and his brothers Howard, Robert, Loren, Tommy, Raymond and twin brother, Cleon, all of whom served in WWII. He is survived by: his wife Marian, of the home; his daughters Gayl Fraser, and her companion, Chris of Philipsburg, MT, Georgann C. Roller of Platte City, MO, Carol L. (Mike) Kenyon of S. Elgin, IL, and Kathleen K. (Jim) Brown of Chicago, IL; a sister Coleen Hastedt of W. DesMoines, IA; 9 grandchildren; and 14 great grandchildren and 2 great-great grandchildren.