Wesley Kimball

Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Wesley R. Kimball was born in Fairview, Oklahoma on March 31, 1925 to William Thomas and Anna Louise Price Kimball. He departed this life on December 25. 2011, at the age of 86. During his sojourn on earth, Col. Kimball led a very active and diversified life: farmer, mechanic, military, pastor, and educator. He was raised on a ranch which was part of his father's homestead south of Seiling, Oklahoma, until his enlistment in the Army Air Corps in September 1943. He graduated from Seiling Public High School in May 1942, received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Bible and Social Studies from Philips University, Enid, Oklahoma in May 1954, a Master of Arts Degree in Aerospace Education from Miami University, Miami, Ohio in May 1969, a Graduate Diploma in Executive Management from the Air War College, Montgomery, Alabama, in May 1969, and a Master of Divinity Degree from United Theological Seminary, Dayton, Ohio, in May 1976. He also completed additional Graduate Studies at Eastern Oregon College of Education, Perkins School of Theology, Southwestern State University, Oklahoma State University, and Oklahoma University. Reverend Kimball received a license to preach from the West Oklahoma Conference of the Methodist Church on July 22, 1948; was ordained Deacon in the West Oklahoma Conference on May 26, 1955 and was ordained Elder in the West Ohio Conference, on June 15, 1977. On May 30, 1987 he officially retired from the active ministry of the Oklahoma Conference but returned on numerous occasions to serve as both a part time and full time Pastor in the Oklahoma Conference and in the North Texas Conference. In addition to his regular pastoral assignments in Oklahoma, Ohio, and Texas, he also served as a guest speaker and conducted revivals in Oklahoma, Ohio, Louisiana, West Virginia, Texas, and Alaska. At the time of his death he was serving his seventh year as Pastor of Wesley United Methodist Church in Hugo, Oklahoma. Col. Kimball was also quite active in the military, having flown thirty five bombing missions over Germany as a ball turret gunner in a B17 Heavy Bomber during World War II. During the Korean War he served as an Infantry Officer, as a Medical Services Officer, and as the Commander of a Provisional Training Battalion. Col. Kimball received direct commissions in both the Army and in the Air Force and retired in 1981 with the rank of Lt. Colonel after some thirty three years in the military, including thirty years as a commissioned officer and three years in the enlisted ranks of both the Army and the Air Force. His service in the Air Force included serving as an Auxiliary Chaplain, as the Director and/or Chief of Administration, Transportation, Disaster Preparedness, and Education, and as the Commander of a major Air Force Reserve unit. He also served a total of thirty years as a Professional Educator and Executive in the Air Force Civil Service retiring in 1982 with the Civil Service grade of GS 13. Col. Kimball received numerous civilian and military awards and decorations, including three humanitarian awards from the Greater Hugo Area Chamber of Commerce. He was well known as a caring and compassionate pastor who devoted a significant amount of time and financial resources ministering to the poor and needy, both on a personal basis and as the President of the Hugo Ministerial Alliance and Administrator of its Benevolence Fund, and as the President and Chairman of the Board of Sharing Hope in Hugo, Inc, of which he was the principal organizer and incorporator. At the time of his death, he was President of Kimball Construction Company and President and Chairman of the Board of Kimball Land & Cattle Company, Inc. True to his background, he was always a country boy at heart, proving that you can take the boy out of the country but you can't take the country out of the boy. He married Shirley I. Reed, on December 5, 1964. In addition to his wife of forty-seven years, he is survived by five children: Anna Allen and husband, Al of Anchorage, Alaska; John of Wichita, Kansas; Edward and wife, Carmita of Dayton, Ohio; William of Dallas, Texas; and David and wife, Jun of Flemington, New Jersey. He is also survived by two grandsons, Jimmy Hunt and wife, Jenn of Anchorage, Alaska, and Edward Kimball Jr. of Kernsville, North Carolina; six granddaughters, Debbie Haddox and husband, Curt of Anchorage, Alaska; Betsy Cannady and husband, Chriss of Midland, Texas; Elizabeth Jackel and husband, Nathan, and Rebecca Kimball and husband, Kevin of Wichita, Kansas; Valerie Kimball-de Jongh and husband, Jeroen of Arlington, Virginia, and Alexandria Dycus and husband, Damon of Denton, Texas; a step-granddaughter, Michelle Castillo and husband, Noe of Altus, Oklahoma. He is also survived by nine great grandchildren and eight great-great grandchildren; two brothers, Allen Kimball and wife, Elisabeth of Dover, Arkansas, and Roger Kimball and wife, Susan of Springfield, Missouri; one sister, Dorothy Cook of Mustang, Oklahoma. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Christiansburg/St. Paris, Ohio Fire Department, 10 W. 1st Street, Christiansburg, Ohio 45389.