Kermit Junior Oliphant

Kermit Junior Oliphant, son of the late Allen and Golda (Dodson) Oliphant, was born March 26, 1927, in Manes, Missouri, and departed this life October 21, 2019, at Cox South Medical Center in Springfield, Missouri. He was 92 years, 6 months, and 26 days of age.

Kermit grew up in Manes and attended Manes school until the 8th grade, then he went to work to help support his family. He enlisted in the United States Air Force in 1946, and he was a drill sergeant in Guam at the end of World War II. Kermit married Dorothy Walker on February 16, 1949, in Manes, Missouri, and five children were born to this union: Joyce, Jackie, JoAnn, Jeania, and Judy. Kermit and Dorothy raised their family in Michigan and he worked at Corning Glass there for 30 years. After he retired, he worked as a consultant for Corning Glass for another 30 years, traveling the world, starting new factories, and training employees in the manufacturing of television tubes. After 60 total years of service to Corning Glass, Kermit retired to New Port Richey, Florida, in the winters and Manes, Missouri, in the summers.

Kermit loved to golf. He made a hole-in-one three times throughout his life, and he was also able to meet and become friends with many golf legends. He also loved square dancing. He competed in many square dancing competitions, and won numerous first place trophies. He enjoyed carpentry, and built three complete beautiful homes from the ground up. He also had a passion for old cars, and owned many different classic cars throughout his life. Kermit stayed very active with the things that he loved to do all the way up until he was 90 years old.

Besides his parents, he was preceded in death by one son-in-law, Merl Coburn, six brothers, Darrell, Loraine, Fay, Dean, Glen, and Jackie, and two sisters, Ruth and Jewell.

Kermit is survived by one son, Jackie Oliphant and his wife, Lynette, of Mountain Grove, Missouri, four daughters, Joyce Coburn of Albion, Michigan, JoAnn Generi of Albion, Michigan, Jeania Brown and her husband, Perry, of Pierson, Michigan, and Judy Stephens and her husband, Doug, of Prestonburg, Kentucky, fourteen grandchildren, twenty-one great-grandchildren, and six great-great-grandchildren, two brothers, Gene Oliphant and his wife, Mandy, of Ohio, and Don Oliphant and his wife, Jan, of Ohio, one sister, Anna Jennings of Missouri, and many nieces, nephews, and extended family and friends who will miss him.