A memorial service for Kenneth E. Hargis will be held on Saturday, May 11, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. at the Nelson-Bauer Funeral Home in Holdrege, Nebraska with Pastor Jean Clayton officiating. Military Honors will be provided by the United States Navy Funeral Honors Team.
Kenneth (“Kenny”) Hargis, 94, of Christian Homes in Holdrege, passed away on Friday, April 26th, 2024.
Kenny was born on September 29th, 1929, in Lubbock, TX, to Jack and Jessie Belle Hargis. Kenney was the oldest of 3 children. Times were tough for the young couple and they soon relocated to Denver, CO, where Jack worked for a creamery. When Kenny’s brother, James (“Jim”) came along a few years later, the two were almost inseparable, as they roamed around south Denver, getting into all sorts of mischief as boys would.
Kenny graduated from South Denver High in 1948, and soon enlisted in the Navy, as the U.S. was getting involved in the Korean War. Kenny could not swim at all and paid a friend $5 to take his swimming test for him. The friend passed, and Kenny was assigned to the U.S.S. Toledo, where he served as a machinist. The Toledo did shore bombardment to support the troops. He was honorably discharged in 1953. Kenny then moved to Denver where he lived with his parents for a short while, working odd jobs until he gained employment with the Martin Marietta plant in west Denver. During this time, the plant had several government contracts and was building Saturn rockets for the space program. Kenny worked as a materials analyst and received commendations for his attendance. It was at the Martin plant where he met his future wife, Shirley Bergstrom. He left her badly written short poems that won her over with his sense of humor.
Kenny and Shirley were married on January 12, 1958, at Augusta Lutheran in Denver. They lived in a basement apartment for years after they were married. In 1965 Shirley became pregnant with their first and only child, Anne Marie, who was born on December 30, 1965. During Shirley’s pregnancy, Kenny took her to meet the Hargis relatives, including his parents, who by now had relocated to Ft. Worth, TX. Shirley remembered that she had never laughed so hard in her life as she did listening to all the stories they told of growing up in Covington, TX.
Of note, during the early 60s, the Hargis family became part of history. Both Kenny’s brother, Jim, and their first cousin, Bobby Hargis, were part of the Dallas Police Department. In November of 1963, when President Kennedy was shot in Dallas, Bobby Hargis was the motorcycle police officer back and to the left of the limousine. People can now hear his recalling of events at the Sixth Floor Museum in Dallas.
When Anne was just a year old, Kenny lost his job at the Martin plant due to cutbacks. Not sure what to do, things seemed bleak until Shirley’s Mom said a new plant in Holdrege had opened up and had good jobs available. That plant was Becton Dickinson. They moved out to rural Wilcox and started their new life. They stayed with his in-laws for a while until they purchased their own home in Wilcox, NE. It was a small, older home with a huge yard. The family of three made this their home for just over 30 years.
Kenny was involved in several community activities. He joined the Wilcox Fire Department in 1973, and when the department was gifted with an ambulance, Kenny took classes and was certified as an EMT in 1975. He enjoyed the camaraderie of the department, and served as the Secretary of the fire department (well, actually Shirley did most of the work). He also joined the local V.F.W. chapter, eventually serving as Commander. After retiring from B.D., Kenny enjoyed volunteering at the Wilcox school, helping serve lunch to the kids. Even though he couldn’t always pronounce their names, he remembered all the faces and the kids grew to really like him.
After Shirley’s mother died, they moved out to the family farm and lived in her house for over 10 years. When Shirley’s health worsened, they made the move into the Sunrise View apartments where Kenny continued to live, after Shirley’s death in 2016, until his health worsened and he moved out to Christian Homes in 2023. He lived there until his death from invasive melanoma in 2024.
Kenny will be remembered for his sense of humor, devotion to family and especially for being a great father, a gift some children never get to experience. Anne knew how lucky she was. Kenny leaves behind to mourn him, his daughter Anne and her husband, Dallas Nau, and beloved grandson, Avery, all of Kearney. He also leaves behind his sister Pat and husband Perk Lambert of Searcy, AR and sister-in-law Nancy Arnt of Littleton, CO. He also had several nieces and nephews Jennifer and Michael Leventhal of Denver, CO; Zachary Arnt of CO; Brent and Holly Artz of Wilcox; Brent and Cindy Bergstrom of Wilcox; Jill Guthrie of Hildreth; Jack Hargis and son Austin of Huntington Beach, CA; Zechariah McGee of Little Rock, AR; Bryan and Jean Nitchie of Holdrege; Don and Pat Nitchie of Casper, WY; Vanessa and Perry Sendukas of Houston, TX; Teresa and Larry Struble of Colorado Springs, CO and Sue and Rich Wyatt of Omaha. He was preceded in death by his wife Shirley, parents Jack and Jessie Hargis, and his brother James Hargis.
A memorial book signing will be held on Friday, May 10, 2024, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. with family greeting friends from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Nelson-Bauer Funeral Home in Holdrege.
A memorial has been established in Kenneth’s honor, and kindly suggested to the family for later designation. Expressions of caring and kindness can be sent to the family at www.nelsonbauerfh.com
The Nelson-Bauer Funeral Home in Holdrege is in charge of the arrangements
