Frank Kinney

Funeral Services at First Baptist Church, Walters, Monday, March 26 at 10:00 a.m., Dr. Jack Jacobs officiating with burial in the Walters Cemetery under the direction of Hart-Wyatt Funeral Home in Walters. Visitation from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Sunday evening.  Memorial Donations can be made to First Baptist Church or the Walters Cemetery Association.

James Frank Kinney was born to Pencie Adell (Elliot) and Robert Arlen Kinney on February 1, 1933 in the Emerson Community west of Walters, OK and departed this life in Duncan, OK on March 22, 2018. Frank’s father was killed when he was 8 months old and his mother was left with 3 very young children with no means of earning money. The memories of his mother’s struggle and his own feelings of insecurity during those years remained through his entire life. He always held his mother in high esteem because of the hardship and sacrifices she endured in order to care for her children.

Frank attended school at Pecan Grove, Walters and Ahpeatone, graduating from AHS in 1950. During summers he went with wheat harvesting crews from Oklahoma to North Dakota. After high school graduation he worked at Sunray Oil Refinery and then joined the Navy in 1952. In the Navy Seebee school he learned to operate heavy equipment, mainly bulldozers, and was sent to the island of Guam for 18 months to do road and bridge construction. He returned to California in 1955 and was commissioned to do the dozer work in building a new 11th Naval District golf course at San Diego. He spent the last 18 months of his Naval career on this job and that’s when he became interested in the game of golf which became his lifetime hobby. He had a total of 16 holes-in-one.

Frank returned to Oklahoma in 1956. From 1957 to 1961 he was employed by Public Service of Oklahoma in the construction of steel towers and new power lines across the state. He joined Cotton Electric’s Service and Construction Department in 1961 and also began farming. From 1975 to 1993 he and his family spent summers working in custom wheat harvesting from Oklahoma to Wyoming. He also harvested corn and milo in West Texas during the fall, as well as continuing his own farming.

Frank and Lois Marie Kerr were married July 5, 1959 at Union Valley Baptist Church, Cookietown, OK. Lois Marie survives him of the home. To the union 2 daughters were born, Laura Johnston and husband Jerry of Elk City, and Resa Harvick who preceded him in 2014. He had a brother, Robert Arlen who preceded him and a sister, Peggy Valene Kinney Durbin Adkins of Marlow, OK. Frank is also survived by 5 grandchildren, Abby Hale and husband Brant, Madison Geiger and husband Seth, Kylie Barber, Reid Barber and Camden Jay; and 4 great grandchildren, Emma, Lucy, Hayden and Harper.

Frank made a public profession of faith in Jesus as his Savior and Lord as a young boy at Emerson Baptist Church west of Walters and was baptized in Jake Unsicker’s pond. He was a member of First Baptist Church in Walters since 1969 and taught 3rd grade boys Sunday school for several years. He could quote the books of the Bible by memory and encouraged the boys class to do so by promising a skating party.