Kenneth Wayne Poindexter

Kenneth Wayne Poindexter of Van, TX (formerly of Marshall) passed away on December 14, 2023. Mr. Poindexter was born on July 31, 1937 in Gladewater, TX to Chester and Mildred Holt Poindexter. His father worked for Atlantic Oil Company during the Great Depression. In 1948, the family moved back to South Arkansas. He graduated in 1955 from Stephens High School in Stephens, AR. He began his career as a reporter and later as managing editor of a weekly newspaper in Camden, Arkansas. He then moved to the daily Camden News as an account executive and later as advertising manager. He also worked for the Arkansas Democrat, Pine Bluff Commercial and Fordyce News Advocate. In 1967, he transferred from WEHCO Media's Camden News to its cable television division, CAMTEL, as marketing director and later as operations manager of their systems in Arkansas, Mississippi and Texas, including Longview and Kilgore. He left that company in 1979 to open American Pulpwood Company, a wood-products brokerage firm. In January 1983, upon the death of his father, he took over management of their family's general store, established in 1896 by his grandfather, until they closed it in the fall of 1990. The building is currently on the National Register of Historic Places. On January 21, 1972 he married the former Ellen Landers of Buena Vista, and on October 18, 1973 their only child, Kenna Marie, was born. After spending the first 18 years of marriage in Arkansas, The Poindexter family made the city of Marshall their home for the next 30 years. In 1991, Mr. Poindexter bought a car dealership, Ken Poindexter Autoplex, which he operated until 1998. In July 2002, he began his career in radio sales as an account executive for KCUL in Marshall. He then joined the KMHT sales staff in August 2005. He was a faithful member of the Church of Christ, serving as an elder in two different congregations in Marshall. For the past year, he was a member of the Van Church of Christ. Mr. Poindexter was heavily involved in civic activities. He was a member of the Stephens Chamber of Commerce and was awarded Citizen of the Year in 1986. Mr. Poindexter had a great love of politics and enjoyed being in the political arena whenever he could. In the 1960s he worked on several campaigns including US Senator David Pryor from Arkansas. He served as Justice of the Peace for several years--even performing one. In 1982, he ran for Arkansas State Senator.
In Marshall he served on the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Marshall Downtown Development Corporation. He was a past board member of the Marshall Economic Development Corporation. He was also a member of the Lion's Club. Mr. Poindexter was a history and genealogy buff and was a proud member of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution.
Those left to cherish his memory are his daughter Kenna (Todd) Kempton of Van; grandson Brayden Kempton of Searcy, AR; granddaughter, Brittney Kempton of Fort Worth; and great-granddaughter, Imani Okigbo of Fort Worth. He was preceded in death by his wife Ellen; his parents; and grandparents William and Maude Poindexter of Stephens, AR; and Henry L. and Maudie Holt also of Stephens. There will be visitations at Sullivan Funeral Home in Marshall on Friday from 6-8 pm, and at Proctor Funeral Home in Camden, AR on Sunday from 6-8 pm. Graveside services will be Monday morning at 10:00am at Stephens Cemetery, in Stephens, AR, conducted by his son-in-law Todd Kempton. The family would like to express their sincere appreciation to Dr. Y Pham of Marshall for his years of dedicated medical service to Mr. Poindexter as well as Hospice of East Texas for taking care of him in his final days. The family requests, in lieu of flowers, memorials be made in the form of contributions to Stephens Cemetery Maye Delaney, P.O. Box 516, Stephens, AR, 71764.