Kenneth O. Hale

Kenneth “Ken” O. Hale, 104, passed away peacefully on Saturday, September 25, 2021, at the Missouri Veterans Home, Warrensburg, Mo. A Celebration of Life will be held at 1:30 p.m., Friday, October 1st, at the Park Lawn Funeral Home, 8251 Hillcrest Road, Kansas City, Mo. Burial with Military Honors will follow at the Green Lawn Cemetery. Masks required. Memorial Contributions may be made to the Veterans Assistance League, 1300 Veterans Road, Warrensburg, Mo., 64093.

Ken was born at home on August 25, 1917, in Prairie Home, Mo. He graduated from Central High School in Kansas City in 1934.

In 1941 Ken enlisted in the U.S. Army. A First Lieutenant and B-17 Flying Fortress pilot, he was stationed with the 384th Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force, at Grafton Underwood, England. Ken was captured when his plane went down on his 32nd mission. He was transferred to Stalag Luft I in Barth near the Baltic Sea where he was held prisoner for six months until May 1945.

Following the War, Ken and Madeline J. Kiefer were married June 25, 1945. They enjoyed 69 years of marriage until her death on March 28, 2014. The Hales lived in Raytown and Independence before moving in 2011 to the Missouri Veterans Home in Warrensburg. It was his “home” for ten years, and the family wishes to thank the staff for the excellent care and compassion shown to Ken.

Ken retired at age 55 from the Federal Aviation Agency as Assistant Chief-Air Traffic Control. In retirement, he and Madeline enjoyed bowling, horseshoe pitching and playing Bridge. Ken often could be found on local golf courses. Ken attended the Business Men’s Bible Class in Kansas City. He was a 60-year member of American Legion Post 596.

Survivors include his children, Barbara Koirtyohann, Kenneth O. Hale, Jr. (Roxanne) and William C. Hale (Angela); three granddaughters, Cindy Koirtyohann, Allison McGeary (Clark) and Jennifer Kretzschmar (Kevin), and six great-grandchildren, Lucas Koirtyohann, Reese McGeary and Mae McGeary; and Timothy Kretzschmar, Kenneth Hale Kretzschmar, and Jackson Kretzschmar.

Ken was predeceased by his beloved Madeline, his parents Oliver M. Hale and Lilly Kloeckner Hale, his brothers Courtney (Irene) and Herbert (Rosemary), and his son-in-law L.D. “Cody” Koirtyohann.

This quote, found in two of Ken’s wartime diaries, was clearly important to him, and proved to be a testament to his long-lived life.

“Those who love deeply never grow old. They may die of old age, but they die young.”

A Celebration of Life will be held at 1:30 p.m., Friday. Oct. 1, at the Park Lawn Funeral Home, 8251 Hillcrest Road, Kansas City, Mo. Burial with Military Honors will follow at the Green Lawn Cemetery. Masks required. Memorial contributions may be made to the Veterans Assistance League, 1300 Veterans Road, Warrensburg, Mo. 64093.