Charles Melvin Wimsatt
Charles “Charlie” Melvin Wimsatt, born July 10, 1934, Scotland, Ark., died peacefully on Nov. 14, 2019, at Medicalodges nursing home, Columbus, Kan., after a long battle with Parkinson’s and congestive heart failure.
Wimsatt along with one brother, was raised on a small farm in Dade County by his parents, Elmer and Minnie Wimsatt. He attended a two-room school in Pennsboro. He graduated in 1952 from Golden City High School.
At the age of 19, he met Arlene Mayfield on the square of Lamar. After a brief courtship, they were married on Oct. 24, 1953. They had three children while there, though one sadly passed as an infant. In 1959, they moved to Springfield, with two young boys and another child on the way. He landed a job at Hertz Rent-a-Car and became shop foreman. By 1961 he and his bride had four children with them, two boys, two girls. In the late 1980’s, he went to work for Pinegar Chevrolet, Republic, as the new car detail shop manager. He was with Pinegar for 10 years. His bride, Arlene, worked at McDonald’s in Republic and you could often lookout into the dining room and see the two of them sitting together at lunch.
After both retired in the late ‘90’s, they moved to Lamar. Shortly after, they came out of retirement and went to work for OATS as bus drivers for a workshop in Lamar. In 2011, they moved to Galena, Kansas to live with their daughter Brenda, due to Arlene’s health. After Arlene passed in 2013 from complications of Alzheimer’s, Charlie remained living in Galena till his health severely declined. He was placed in nursing care at Medicalodges in January 2019.
Wimsatt was preceded in death by his wife, Arlene (Mayfield) Wimsatt, his parents, Charles Elmer Wim- satt and Minnie Ann (Lowrance-Wimsatt) Porter, his daughter, Pamela Deanne Wimsatt, a daughter-in-law, Venice Marie Wimsatt, his brother, James Henry Wim- satt, an infant grandson, an infant great-grandson, and his best friend Delbert Morris Johnson.
He is survived by his children, Charles Alan Wimsatt and wife Carol, Kevin L. Wimsatt, Kimberly D. Baake and husband Rob, and Brenda S. King and husband Marvin, 12 grandchildren, 19 great-grandchildren, one great-great-grandchild, many nieces, nephews, and lifelong friends.
Memorial donations can be made to the Alzheimer’s Association. Funeral service was Monday, Nov. 18, at 2 p.m., at Lake Cemetery, Lamar, with a visitation Sunday evening Nov. 17.
Category:
Lawrence County Record
312 S. Hickory St.
Mt. Vernon, MO, 65712
www.lawrencecountyrecord.com