KINGSLEY, Clyde R

Clyde R. Kingsley, 83, of Grand Island, died Tuesday, April 13, 2004 at the Nebraska Veterans Home. Funeral services will be on Saturday at 10:30 A.M. at Livingston-Sondermann Funeral Home. The Rev. Onamae Waddel will officiate. Burial will be at the Westlawn Memorial Park Cemetery. Visitation will be on Friday from 4:00 until 8:00 P.M. at the funeral home. Clyde was born on February 17, 1921 at Bradshaw, Nebraska to Harvey A. and Mary (Morgan) Kingsley. Survivors include his wife, Glenna of Grand Island; three sons and daughters-in-law, Robert & Lisa Kingsley of Omaha, Donald & Joyce Kingsley of Gibbon, and Ronald & Lisa Kingsley of Danville, Kentucky; one brother, Jerry Kingsley of Aurora; and two sisters, Margaret Harlow of Grand Island and Rosemary Wilson of Arizona. Other survivors include four grandchildren, Miles, Fallon and Phoebe Kingsley of Danville, Kentucky, and Jonathan Irwin of Omaha and four step great-grandchildren. The Kingsley family moved to Missouri when Clyde was four years of age and returned to Nebraska three years later. They lived in a sod house on Kingsley Island in the Platte River by his home. As a child, Mr. Kingsley enjoyed hunting and fishing on the Platte River by his home. He worked for many of the farmers in the area. He graduated from the tenth grade at Denman School and attended Shelton School. He earned eight hours of college in the Marine Corps. Mr. Kingsley was enrolled in the Civilian Conservation Corps from April to September 1940, working on irrigation and headgate canals near Bayard, Nebraska. He was paid $5.00 a month and his parents received $25.00 a month. Mr. Kingsley served in the United States Marine Corps from January 2, 1942 to January 23, 1946 as a gunnery spec E5 and machine gun crewman. He also worked as demolition and bridger and engineer equipment operator for his company. He was overseas from February 23, 1942 to July 9, 1943 in the South Pacific and from August 10, 1944 to January 12, 1946 in the Western Pacific including operations at Tinian, Saipan, and Okinawa and the occupation of China. He was awarded the Good Conduct Metal plus seven others metals. Character of Service-Excellent. After his discharge from the Marine Corps, Mr. Kingsley went to college under the GI Bill of Rights. This law paid for tuition and books plus $65 a month living expenses. He attended Kearney State College, University of Nebraska at Lincoln, and Creighton University in Omaha. He completed a total of 150 semester hours in business and accounting. He also attended Boyles Business College in Omaha, taking courses in business machines, accounting, comptometer, and typing; completed the International Accountants Society course in accounting; and took night classes in accounting at Regis College in Denver, Colorado. He was employed as an accountant in Omaha, Grand Island, and Denver, Colorado. He married Glenna Louise Van Horn at Grand Island on February 26, 1956. The couple lived in Denver where Mr. Kingsley was employed by the U.S. Government as an accountant and auditor. He also sold real estate and insurance part-time. He was licensed as a Merchant Guard by the City and County of Denver. The family returned to Nebraska in 1963. Mr. Kingsley became a Licensed Real Estate Broker in 1963, and worked in thee real estate firms in Grand Island and sold insurance. The family moved to a farm southwest of St. Paul, Nebraska where Mr. Kingsley continued to work in real estate, farming, and construction. He also worked several jobs in Grand Island, including driving the armored car for Wells Fargo. They left the farm in 1977 and lived in St. Paul until 1980 when the family moved to Grand Island. Mr. Kingsley was chosen as a representative of Nebraska to be included in the 1976-77 Bicentennial Edition of WHO’S WHO IN NEBRASKA. After his retirement Mr. Kingsley continued to be interested in hunting, fishing, farm management, and construction. He was a member of Trinity United Methodist Church, the CCC Vets, and a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Memorials may be given to the National World War II Memorial, P.O. Box 96766, Washington, D.C. 20090-6766 www.wwiimemorial.com or to the donor’s choice.