Charles Arnold Pendergraft, son of Henry Joshua and Flocie Pendergraft was born Sept. 19, 1898 in McDonald County, Missouri. He was 92 and died Sept. 21, 1990 at the Comanche County Hospital.At an early age he left Missouri with his family for New Mexico by covered wagon where they lived for a time before coming to Comanche County in 1912. The family lived in Coldwater for a short time before coming to Wilmore where they lived on a farm north of town.
Charlie attended Wilmore schools and graduated from high school with the class of 1921 which had five members, Hazel Booth, Aelzine Booth, Eva Draper, and Helen Wood. Charlie was the only boy in the class.
He was fond of all kinds of sports and was an excellent athlete in his school days and even after when he was a member of the Wilmore Bobcat basketball town team.
He was united with the Baptist Church in Wilmore Jan. 6, 1918 and after it closed in 1975, he and Helen attended the Federated Church.
He was united in marriage to Helen Wood on Dec. 18, 1921. To this union four sons were born: Charles Jr., Jack Vernon, Ralph Wayne and Robert Lee. Charlie worked with his father in his garage for eight years. He drove Wilmore's first school bus (a homemade one) and in later years drove one of the modern day busses. He was a rural mail carrier for a time and after his father's death, he was caretaker of the Wilmore cemetery.
Charlie and Helen ran the C and H Grocery in Wilmore for four and one half years. After selling the store in 1959, they moved to their present home as it was the only available house in town at the time.
His favorite pastime was traveling and he was a good student of geography. He and Helen have traveled in nearly all of the western states and they made several trips to the east coast to visit his brother, George, and family. Up to the very time his health failed, he was still able to drive the car and thoroughly enjoyed taking drives not knowing for sure how far he might go but always wanting to take a different road.
Charlie was preceded in death by his parents, two brothers, one sister and three sons. Survivors are his wife, Helen, son, Robert, his wife, Zell, and one sister, Flora Drury of Lake Jackson, Texas. He also has an aunt, Ophelia Rollins, of California and an aunt, Nina Atkinson, of Pittsburg, Kans. Also surviving are a number of cousins, nieces and nephews along with a host of other relatives and friends.
Memorials to Wilmore Federated Church or Comanche County Hospital.
Charles A. Pendergraft is buried in the Wilmore Cemetery.
Henry Joshua "Josh" Pendergraft, father of Charles A. Pendergraft.
Helen Margaret (Wood) Pendergraft, wife of Charles A. Pendergraft.
William M. Pendergraft, son of Henry Joshua and Flocie (Patterson) Pendergraft; brother of Charles A. Pendergraft.
Charles Arnold, Jr. & Ralph Wayne Pendergraft, sons of Charles and Helen Margaret (Wood) Pendergraft.
Jack Vernon Pendergraft, son of Charles and Helen Margaret (Wood) Pendergraft.
Samuel & Christina (Baird) Booth
Parents of 13 children; ancestors of many people in Comanche & Kiowa counties in Kansas; grandparents of Helen Margaret (Wood) Pendergraft.Christina Sadie (Booth) Wood Griffin, mother of Helen Margaret (Wood) Pendergraft.
The BOOTH Descendants of The Bairds of Lanarkshire in Comanche and Kiowa Counties, Kansas.
Richard Samuel Wood, brother of Helen Margaret (Wood) Pendergraft.
Ruth Mae (Wood) Baker, sister of Helen Margaret (Wood) Pendergraft.
Thanks to Shirley Brier for finding, transcribing and contributing the above news article to this web site!
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