Burce Tovey

Burce F. Tovey of Coffeyville, father of City Commissioner, Pam Jones, passed away December 31, 2009, at Windsor Place. He was born August 5, 1922, on his Uncle Charlie and Aunt Belle Rexwinkle39;s farm near Edna, Kansas. He was the third child and first son born to Frank and Pearl Acridge Tovey. At the time of his birth the family was living near Weimer, Oklahoma. The family later moved to Coffeyville where his father worked for the National Refinery. Burce attended first grade at Longfellow and second grade at Whittier. In 19291930. the family moved to Picher, Oklahoma. Over the years, the family lived in Chetopa, Kansas, and Welch, Oklahoma, before returning to Coffeyville. Here he attended Lowell Grade School, Roosevelt Junior High, and Field Kindley High School. From the age of eight, he worked summers on his Uncle Charlie Rexwinkle39;s farm near Edna and his Uncle W.M. Gillespie39;s farm near South Coffeyville, Oklahoma. He loved being outdoors. On December 18, 1940, he joined the Army - under the 127th Field Artillery Regiment of the Kansas National Guard. The 127th Field Artillery trained at Camp Robinson, Arkansas. On December 1941, following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the
ision was ordered to set up its guns on the beaches of Monterey, California, until after Christmas. The unit then completed training at Fort Ord, California, and Camp San Luis Obispo, California, where he was trained as a heavy machine gunner. In March 1942, the Battalion was reorganized and became the 195th Field Artillery Regiment. After further training at the Desert Training Center in California and Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, the battalion was then sent to England, France, Belgium, and Germany, and fought in the Battle of the Bulge. In June of 1944, his unit was stationed in Aachen, Germany, where he fought as an infantry man in the Ardennes Campaign. It was during this battle that he was injured when a German bomb hit a piece of heavy equipment. He recuperated in Paris before once again joining his battalion. His military honors included the Purple Heart and four Battle Participation Stars. Following his honorable discharge from the Army on September 28, 1945, he returned to Coffeyville. After working at various jobs he began employment in 1947 with the Co-Op Refinery. He was employed there for approximately 35 years before retiring in 1982. In 1948, he married Lena Scott. In 1951, their daughter and only child, Pam, was born. In September 1971, the couple
orced. In February 1971, he married Irene Walker. She survives. Burce was a 50 year member of the Masons Keystone Lodge, the VFW, and the I.U.O.E. He loved adventures - traveling to almost all fifty states, reading with history being his favorite subject, fishing, and spending almost every moment that he could at the lake. His favorite memories were of the times he spent with family members at either Table Rock or Grand Lake - boating, fishing, and swimming. He is survived by his daughter, Pam, and husband, Bill, and his grandson, Ryan; three step-sons: Jim Walker, Bob Brenda Walker, and Rick Marianna Walker; thirteen step- grandchildren; his sisters Carol Conner of California and Rochelle Gist of Oregon; and his brother, Perry Tovey of Florida; plus seventeen nieces and nephews whom he loved dearly. He was proceeded in death by his parents, sisters Monica Hankins and Dayle Finley, brother Pete Tovey, niece Teresa Gist, and step-son, Jack Walker. At his request he has been cremated. A memorial graveside service is being held Saturday, April 24, 2010 at 11:00 a.m. at the Fairview Cemetery Veterans Patio.