John Harvey Kennemur

John Harvey Kennemur, 81, of Big Spring, passed away Monday, September 19, 2022 at his residence. The family will receive friends from 5pm until 7pm Wednesday, September 21, 2022 at Nalley-Pickle & Welch Funeral Home. Graveside services will be held at 10am Thursday, September 22, 2022 at Trinity Memorial Park.

He was born July 9, 1941 in Big Spring, to Dorothy and Noble Kennemur. He grew up in a farming household in the Elbow/Forsan community and was a 1959 graduate of Forsan High School. He attended Howard County Community College. He married his sweetheart, Winnifred Norrel on June 24, 1961 in Big Spring.

He started to work for Pioneer Natural Gas on March 1, 1963 as a laborer with a shovel. When a strange looking piece of equipment called a backhoe was delivered, he asked how and who was going to operate. He was given the keys and told to figure it out. He continued to advance with the company as Pioneer became Energas and Energas became Atoms Energy. He retired from Atmos on July 31, 1996 as a District Supervisor overseeing operations from Lamesa to New Mexico and 280+ employees. John was a 3rd generation Elder at the 1st Presbyterian Church.

His parents took annual vacations to Rockport and Port Aransas. He continued that tradition for many years with his own children. He loved watching the cargo ships going through the channel, fishing from the dock and walking the beaches collecting buckets of seashells. He also enjoyed hunting and softball. He never missed a Texas Rangers game on TV. He maintained Martin houses and kept the Cardinals, as well as, the sparrows in his neighborhood well fed. It became an annual Christmas tradition for his sons to give Mom and Dad a Santa figurine. Those will now return to John and Paul.

Survivors include his wife of 61 years, Winnifred; his sons: John (Cindy) Kennemur and Paul Kennemur; four grandson’s: Quinton, Toby (Bailee) and Kendrik, all of Big Spring and Brent Sisson and family of Anchorage, AK and one brother Danny Kennemur, of Big Spring.

He was preceded in death by his parents, a sister and brother-in-law, Nancy and Terry Hale and his daughter-in-law, Monika Kennemur.

Arrangements are under the direction of Nalley-Pickle & Welch Funeral Home and Crematory. Online condolences can be made a www.npwelch.com

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