Carlyle Kinzer passed on from this life at the age of 95 years on Thursday, November 4,2021 at his home in Jenks, Oklahoma. From his birth in Versailles, Kentucky on February 15,1926 until shortly before his death, Carlyle enjoyed a strong constitution and a life full of work that he enjoyed, love and duty to his family, and service to his country and his Christian faith. His parents were John Calvin Kinzer whose family was from Iowa and Kathlene Theodora Carlyle Kinzer whose father was from Calgary, Alberta, Canada and who mother was from upstate New York.
World War II interrupted his education; having completed high school early, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corp just before his 18th birthday. He was assigned to the 381st Bomb Group of the 8th Air Force which was stationed at Duxford Airfield just outside Cambridge, England. From there he participated in 28 heavy bombardment sorties over enemy occupied continental Europe as a crew member on a B-17 heavy bomber.
After the war, Carlyle earned a bachelor’s degree in Animal Husbandry from Oklahoma A&M College (now Oklahoma State University) and went to work as a ranch hand on Honey Creek Ranch near Grove, Oklahoma. There he met Barbara Ann Babb who was a lifelong resident of Grove. They married on December 27,1950 and remained so until Barbara’s death on October 31,2015.
They purchased a ranch in 1955 and expanded it to 2,000 acres spread across Okmulgee and McIntosh Counties in Oklahoma. Carlyle continued his family tradition by running registered Hereford cattle until they converted the ranch to a commercial prairie hay operation. They ran the ranch until their retirement and move to Jenks in 1993 to be near their children and grandchildren.
Carlyle is survived by three children, four grandchildren and one great-grandson. His son is Calvin Kinzer who with his wife Debi Kinzer lives in Tulsa. His elder daughter is Carol Kinzer whose son is Alex Kinzer, both of Tulsa. His younger daughter is Cathy Woods whose husband is Barry Woods and they live in Jenks. Their children are Leslie McCurry (husband Jarrod) who live in Wichita Kansas; Shelby Hanna (husband Michael) who with their son Owen Hanna live in Donaghcloney, Northern Ireland; and Adam Woods who also lives in Jenks.
A funeral service for Carlyle will be celebrated Thursday, November 11th at 1:30 PM at St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church located at 5635 E. 71st Street in Tulsa. For those who wish to make a memorial donation in honor of Carlyle, he asked for them to be directed to The Gideons International.
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