Cleon Gale Musgrave

Cleon Gale Musgrave, 93, of Lawrence, Kansas, passed peacefully on September 12, 2025, surrounded by family. Born on March 1, 1932, in a snow-covered chicken coop in Oberlin, Kansas, Cleon was the youngest of three children welcomed by Mildred Mae and Kenneth Clair Musgrave. Legend has it that mom and babe held on until after midnight, as 1932 was a leap year.

Gale, as he was known in his younger years, lost his father when he was just two. A few years later, his mother married Harry Asbhar (Papa A) and he gained both a stepfather and stepsiblings. The family spent part of his childhood in California, displaced by the Dust Bowl, before returning to Oberlin. In his youth, he helped on the family farm, where he developed a love for the land, learning, and sports.

He graduated from Decatur Community High School in 1950. Soon after, he enlisted in the Air Force, serving in a special unit in Germany during the Korean War. He kept his promise to keep that work secret to the very end. Following his service, he used the G.I. Bill to further his education at the University of Kansas. Summers found him working as a surveyor on the rugged terrain of Rocky Mountain National Park - a place he returned to often with family, sharing his love of the mountains. He later taught high school history and math, and eventually education at Baker University.

While teaching at Baker, Cleon met and married Judy Morrison, the mother of his daughters. He later began a career with the GSA, eventually retiring from government service while working for the EPA. Cleon married his beloved Carol Ann in 1995, and together they spent many joyful years traveling and enjoying retirement until her passing in 2019.

Cleon loved nature and animals, and took great pride in having grown up a farm kid - later owning land himself. He believed deeply in the power of education and was a lifelong reader. His evenings were a cherished routine: the news, a round of Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune, as many sports as he could take in, and always, a bowl of ice cream. He enjoyed attending live games and dinner theater, and was a devoted supporter of his grandchildren’s many activities. Having grown up in a time when things of value were not always accessible or affordable, he rarely passed up a bargain and loved to shop. He was adventurous in the kitchen, building on lessons learned from his mother, and delighted in trying new foods and snacks - though his coffee was always black.

Cleon was preceded in death by his parents, wife Carol, sister Norma Jean, brother Burdon, stepdaughter Shari Pate, and granddaughter Tressa Canaday. He is survived by his daughters Kenna Fries (Jeremy) of Eudora, Kansas, and Wendy Canaday (Tim) of Lawrence, his stepson Gary Hanson (Bea), his grandchildren Tyler, Tia, Jackson, Julianna (John), Janelle, Ashton (Chris), Aaron, Aspen, Eric, and Becky. He is also survived by his great-grandchildren Cassidy, Cadence, Jensen, and Jordan and his most treasured calico friend, Precious.

Cleon was accepted to KU one final time, donating his body to the university’s Willed Body Program in support of education and science. The family will receive guests at Warren-McElwain Mortuary at 11:00 AM, followed by a service at 12:00 PM on Saturday, October 4, 2025. His remains will be interred at a later date.

Memorial contributions may be made in his name to The Lawrence Humane Society and may be sent in care of Warren-McElwain Mortuary.