Obit of Willyard, Kimberlee Ann - Comanche County, Oklahoma Submitted by: Gene Phillips 30 Oct 2005 Return to Comanche County Archives: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/comanche/comanche.html ========================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ========================================================================== Willyard, Kimberlee Ann 1966 - 2005 Kimberlee Ann Willyard, 38, passed away Friday, April 15, 2005, at her home. Funeral: Noon Saturday, April 23, at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints, 5312 Brandsford Road, Colleyville. Burial: Bluebonnet Hills Memorial Park. Visitation: 6 to 9 p.m. Friday at Bluebonnet Hills Funeral Home; a short visitation will also precede the funeral. Kimberlee was born Sept. 5, 1966, to Virginia "Ginger" Murdock Willyard and Charles Reed Willyard, being the first baby girl and only the second baby to be born in the newly built Beaver Valley Hospital in Beaver, Utah. She and her mom lived in Beaver with her grandparents and uncles until her dad returned from overseas military duty when she was 21 months old. She then moved to Fort Lawton, Fort Sill, Okla., until her family was transferred to Hanau, Germany, in 1969. She began her educational training at the age of 4 at New Argoner Preschool in Hanau. In 1971, she moved to Midvale, Utah, where she attended kindergarten. In 1972, her family was transferred to Fort Lewis, in Tacoma, Wash., where she attended first grade. In 1974, the family left military service and returned to Midvale, Utah, where Kim completed most of her educational training at Midvale Elementary, Midvale Junior High and Hillcrest and Valley high schools. She recently finished additional schooling at ATI in Fort Worth. While living abroad, Kim was able to accompany the family on a tour of much of Europe, where she began collecting dolls from every country she visited -- a collection that she continued by having dolls from every state she visited, as well as from Mexico and Canada. She was featured in a story in one of the local newspapers with a photo of her in her little German derndel. In the sixth grade, Kimberlee belonged to a Russian dance troupe that performed all around Salt Lake Valley and at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. They performed for a Russian basketball team at that time as well. She loved to dance and danced very gracefully and well ... and enjoyed being able to learn and remember a lot of Russian, as well. Kim loved to travel and had visited many different places throughout the United States. She was active in playing bobby sox baseball in the community and on the church basketball, volleyball and baseball teams through out her teen-age years. She loved to go both snow and water skiing, hiking, hanging out with friends and particularly her cousins on their family get-togethers for so many of the holidays and weekends they spent together in the Beaver Mountains and other places. She loved dating, attending sports and school activities and especially all the dances, both at school and with the church throughout the years. In 1987, she decided to fulfill a full-time mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was called to serve in New Jersey- Morristown, the Salt Lake City North and California-Oakland missions, all being Spanish-speaking missions. She spent several weeks in the Mission Training Center, learning the language. She loved the Spanish language and all the people she taught or came in contact with. Kim loved going to the temple and feeling of the spirit of happiness there. She was always active in her church, fulfilled callings as a teacher in several areas and lived the teachings of her faith. Since moving to Texas in 1989, she had worked in various positions throughout the community. At the time of her death, she was employed where she could once again use her Spanish on a daily basis, which she loved and with the people she so enjoyed being with. Kimberlee spent a lifetime battling a difficult illness, but she was always true to herself, her family and her faith. She has now won the battle, but will be greatly missed by her family and friends. Kim loved her family with all her heart and rejoiced with the birth of each of her brothers and sisters and the birth of each niece and nephew. Kim had a hard time knowing that her uncles Roger and Craig were really her uncles. To her, they felt like "big brothers." She was preceded in death by her father, Charles Reed; one sister, Teresa Ann; her grandparents, Chase Hatch Murdock, Reedie Goebel Willyard and Iris Neeley Willyard; and two little cousins, Payton Soderborg and Jaxon Murdock. Survivors: Her mother, Virginia; brothers, Curtis Reed Willyard and wife, Leonda, of Crowley and Shaun Murdock Willyard of Saginaw; sister, Roshelle Willyard Rankin of Henderson, Nev.; nieces, Brittany Willyard and Miriam Rankin; nephews, Tyler Willyard, Austin Gormley and Brandon Willyard; her grandmother, Lucille B. Murdock of Beaver, Utah; several uncles and aunts, Judy and Gary Chamberlain of South Jordan, Utah, Roger and Adele Murdock of Beaver, Utah, Craig and Cristina Murdock of Tucson, Ariz., Eileen and Jim Craw of Minersville, Utah, and Arnold Willyard of Milford, Utah; and cousins, David and Kim, Garth, Michael and Traci, Brian and Stephanie, Roger, Ann and Mike, Gretchen and Marty, Geoff and Monica, Marshelle and JayDell, Nate and Heather, Annalisa and Jared, Alan and Kelly, Brenda, Troy, Dale and Chellie, Steven and Naomi, Keith and Arlene. Published in the Star-Telegram from 4/22/2005 - 4/23/2005. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to Comanche County Archives: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/comanche/comanche.html