Glenwood Conklin

Glenwood Guy Glen Conklin, 1 Forest Road, died Monday afternoon, February 23, 2009, at Shawn Manor. He was 99 years old. The funeral service will be held Friday, February 27 at 2 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church in Ponca City with the Rev. Michael Smith officiating. Burial will follow at the Grandview Cemetery in Kaw City. Arrangements are under the direction of Grace Memorial Chapel. Glen was born September 15, 1909, in Kaw City, Oklahoma. He was the third of four children born to William Thomas Bill and Mary Ellen Diamond Conklin. His early years were spent in Kaw City where he and his younger brother, Hugo, helped their father open and prepare for the days business in his mercantile store and grocery store each morning before going to school. They also helped with the garden and took the milk cow to pasture in the morning and brought her home in the evening. For their jobs they received one silver dollar a week for pay. In 1925, the family moved to the Rio Grand Valley near San Benito, Texas. Glen and his brother lived in Brownsville where they graduated from high school. They helped their parents on the farm on weekends and during the summer.Glens mother encouraged him to visit and entertain Ike Clubbs daughter, Madelyn from Kaw City, while she was visiting in Brownsville. His summer plans changed drastically from that point on; every spare minute was allocated to the gentlemanly duty of keeping her entertained. They were married August 5, 1929, in Edinburg, Texas and celebrated 70 wonderful years of marriage. They made their first home in Brownsville where Glen continued farming and working in his father-in-laws citrus orchards. In the fall of 1931, they moved to Arlington, Texas, where he attended North Texas A M College. After he received his electrical engineering degree on June 3, 1933, the couple moved to Kaw City where he became manager of the Clubb Hotel. Several years later he acquired the grain elevator in Kaw City, which his father once owned, and established the G.G. Conklin Grain and Feed Company. Glen became very active in the community and belonged to numerous civic clubs and organizations. He was a member of the Methodist Church and was on the church board and also served as a trustee. He served on the City Council, the school board, and was a charger member of the Kaw City Rotary Club. He also served as a volunteer fireman. Glen and his wife managed farm and ranch land north of Kaw City where they raised Black Angus cattle and grew wheat and alfalfa. After the death of Ike Clubb in 1952, the hotel was closed and later was opened as a nursing home. In 1965, the couple built Shawn Manor Nursing Home in Ponca City. They continued to live in Kaw City until the construction of the Kaw Dam and Lake. At that time they made their home near their business in Ponca City. Glen was a member of the board of directors of the Kay County Tuberculosis Association; he belonged to the Oklahoma State Nursing Home Association and the American Nursing Home Association. Glen and Madelyn attended numerous courses in the Continuing Education Facilities at the University of Oklahoma. After their retirement, they traveled throughout the United States, Mexico, Cuba, Canada, Europe, Scandinavia, Russia, Greece, Turkey and Africa. Glen is survived by three daughters, Mrs. Charles L. Annette Pittman and Mrs. Glenda Sue Thomas both of Ponca City and Mrs. Jerry Cynthia Lee Carter of Bartlesville; five grandchildren, Mrs. Grant Susan Elaine Cline Rutledge and Karen Elizabeth Cline Leonard of Frisco, Texas, Glen Jose Noval of Pembroke Pines, Florida, Jeremy Christian Carter of Tulsa and Mark Edward Carter of Bentonville, Arkansas. Glen has ten great-grandchildren and twelve great-great grandchildren. Glens parents, his wife, an infant son, Jimmy Glenn and son, Bill preceded him in death. His two brothers, Floyd and Hugo Conklin and sister Ellen Conklin Dancy and a grandson, Michael Noval are also deceased. Casket bearers for the service will be Jeremy Carter, Mark Carter, Michael Goff, Marcus Ray, Bodie Leonard and Drew Rutledge. Memorial contributions may be made to the Oklahoma United Methodist Church Childrens Home or to the First United Methodist Church building fund, co The First United Methodist Church, 200 South Sixth Street, Ponca City, Oklahoma 74601.