Obituaries

Carl Kittrell

Photo of Carl  Kittrell
Carl Huenefeld Kittrell, age 92, of Fayetteville, Arkansas, passed away on Monday, June 8, 2015, at Butterfield Trail Village. He was born on May 11, 1923, in Gregory, Arkansas, to John Benjamin and Adelia Huenefeld Kittrell, the eldest of five siblings. He is survived by his wife Philomena, two daughters, Suzanne Kittrell of Fayetteville and Adele Atha and her husband Larry of Fayetteville, and one son, Carl John Kittrell and his wife Deb of Benicia, California; and six grandchildren Adelia Kittrell-Bordon and Adam Kittrell of Little Rock; Kristin Atha and Jenna Atha of Fayetteville, Allison Atha Huskey of Springdale, and Cassie Helms of Ft. Collins, Colorado. Carl was preceded in death by two daughters, Anne Kittrell of Fayetteville and Mary Helms of Boise, Idaho. Growing up in depression-era Arkansas, Carl graduated from high school and went into the military to serve in WWII. It was after the war in LeHarve, France, where he met and married his wife, Philomena, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They recently celebrated their 69th wedding anniversary. Carl served in the U.S. Army for the next 29 years, serving in WWII, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. He served in the Quartermaster Corps and retired as a Colonel in 1972. Embarking on a second career, he went to UALR to complete an Accounting degree and then was hired by the City of Little Rock to work in their Finance and Administration Department. He retired from that position in 1986. He and Phil moved to Fayetteville in 1996, where they started a new life with a whole new set of friends. Both he and Phil were active in their respective churches. They enjoyed square dancing for many years, dancing well into their late 70's. For ten years he was an active volunteer for Faith in Action in Fayetteville and enjoyed that tremendously. Also, feeling like they shouldn't be forgotten, Carl registered over 3,000 WWII Veterans to be archived into the newly opened WWII Memorial in Washington, DC. He particularly enjoyed the Arkansas Razorbacks, especially the baseball team and their activities. Every February through May you could count on Carl and Phil being in Baum Stadium, muffled up to their ears, enjoying Norm DeBriyn and Dave Van Horn's teams. Music was also an integral part of his upbringing. As a young boy, and until several years before his passing, he was an active choir member in the Methodist churches that he attended. He loved to sing; he loved Gospel especially. He will be remembered as a loving and generous husband, father, and grandfather by these words: "The best advice my father ever gave me was his splendid example." Memorial services will be held at Central United Methodist Church in Fayetteville on Saturday, June 20th, 2015, at 10 a.m. Burial services with full Military Honors will be held 1 p.m. Friday, June 19th, at the National Cemetery in Fayetteville. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made out to the University of Arkansas Foundation, with the memo line to read the Anne Kittrell Memorial Music Scholarship Fund, and mailed to the U of A, 300 UNHS, 1 University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Ark. 72701. To sign the online guest book, please visit www.mooresfuneralchapel.com.

Published June 16, 2015

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