Gordon Kilgore

KILGORE, FULMER, SCHAIBLE, CARLIN, WILSON, GREEN, NESBITT, BINN

Posted By: Ruth Maring - Volunteer (email)
Date: 9/25/2006 at 12:28:46

The Clinton Herald
Published: September 20, 2006 12:07 pm

Gordon Kilgore

Visitation: 3 to 8 p.m. Friday at Law Jones Funeral Home, Elizabeth.

SERVICES: 11 a.m. Saturday at First United Methodist Church, Elizabeth, with the Revs. Dottie Morizo, pastor of Schapville Presbyterian Church and David Poust, pastor of Elizabeth First United Methodist Church officiating.

ELIZABETH, Ill. — Gordon O. “Gordie” Kilgore, 81, of Elizabeth, died Tuesday at Dubuque Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Dubuque.

Inurnment will take place at a later date.

He was born Feb. 22, 1925, to Carl and Esther Fulmer Kilgore in Rockford, Ala. He married Helen Schaible on Nov. 1, 1991, in Schapville, Ill.

He graduated from Randolph (Ohio) High School in 1943. Following the military he attended Middlebury (Vt.) College where he received a degree in communications.

He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II in the Pacific Theater.

He was a member of Zion Presbyterian Church, Schapville.

He began his career in radio broadcasting in 1948/1951 when he started doing play-by-play sports announcing at radio station KDTH in Dubuque. Three years later he was doing broadcasts. In 1956, he became news director at the station. He reported during the 1965 Mississippi River flood in the Dubuque area. For his efforts, the city of Dubuque named a one-block street along Dubuque’s floodwall after him. He received the John Bickel Award this year presented by the National Rivers Hall of Fame, Dubuque; the Treasures of Dubuque Award; and the Helen Mercer Award. He retired from radio station KDTH in 1993.

He was president of the National Rivers Hall of Fame and the Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium. He was a board member of the Dubuque Historical Society. He was a member of the Galena (Ill.) Rotary, where he was a Paul Harris Fellow. He also received the Silver Beaver Award for his participation in Boy Scouts.

Survivors include his wife; three sons, Patrick (Sherry) Kilgore of Lebanon, Pa., Michael (Monica) Kilgore of Dubuque and Charles (JoAnne) Kilgore of Albuquerque, N.M.; one daughter, Joyce (Brian) Carlin of New Glarus, Wis.; one stepson, Herb (Cindy) Wilson of Monroe, Wis.; two stepdaughters, Denise (Dan) Green of Galena and Julie (Bob) Nesbitt of Mukilteo, Wash.; 18 grandchildren; 10 stepgrandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren; four stepgrandchildren; one brother, Paul Dean (Barbara) Kilgore of Winterhaven, Fla.; one sister, Sandy (Wayne) Binn of Wichita, Kan.; father in-law, Marian Schaible of Elizabeth; and the mother of his children, Marilyn Kilgore of Monroe, Wis.

A memorial fund has been established in his name.

Condolences may be made online at www.lawjonesfuneralhome.com.

He was preceded in death by his parents, one son and one sister.

Death date: Sept. 19, 2006