Ken Hatch

Funeral for Kendal Lloyd "Ken" Hatch, 86, will be at 10:00 a.m. Monday in Centenary United Methodist Church with Rev. Dr. Brandon Dollarhite officiating.

Burial will be in Sunset Memorial Gardens under the direction of Becker-Rabon Funeral Home.

The family will greet friends from 3:00 P.M. until 5:00 P.M. Sunday at the funeral home.

Ken died Thursday, November 8, 2018, in Lawton.

He was born April 14, 1932 in Durant, Oklahoma to Thomas and Hazel Webb Hatch.  His family lived in Shawnee, Oklahoma City, and Phoenix, Arizona before settling in Muskogee, Oklahoma.  He graduated from Muskogee High School in 1950.  Ken attended one semester of college at Oklahoma City University before joining the Navy in January 1951. During that time he became engaged to Helen Jo Carter.   They married on May 25, 1952 and she followed him to Long Beach and San Diego, California for his military duty. He served on the U.S.S. Ashtabula which provided fuel and provisions to U.S. fleets in Japan and Korea.  During his time of service he attended Personnelman School in San Diego and Naval Justice School in Rhode Island. He left the Navy in November 1954 and returned to OCU to complete his degree in instrumental music, graduating in 1957.  He and Helen moved to Lawton where he taught band at Central Junior High School from 1957-1959 and Tomlinson Junior High School in 1960 before becoming the band director at Lawton High School from 1961-1967.  During his time at Lawton High, he organized a license plate fundraiser that coined the phrase "Home of Champions" after LHS earned five state championships during a single calendar year.  In 1967 he left teaching to work at Hardy Suggs Music Company.  After a devastating fire, Ken and two business partners, Graydon Fooshee and Karl Waldbauer, purchased the store and renamed it Frontier Music Company.  He retired from the music store in 1997.

Ken has been a member of Centenary United Methodist Church for 61 years where he was a member of the choir.  He played the baritone and trombone in the Polka Kings for 25 years.  His passion for music was a huge influence in the lives of all three of his sons. He enjoyed the annual deep sea fishing trips to the Gulf of Mexico with the area band directors and attending his Navy reunions to reminisce with old friends.   He and Helen loved camping in their RV, especially when they traveled to Ouray and Gunnison, Colorado.  They also had fun playing Bridge with a group of special friends. Ken was known for his sense of humor and ability to make people laugh. He enjoyed solving crossword puzzles and could give trivia facts on just about any topic. He was a wonderful grandpa and great-grandpa.

Ken is survived by children Kendal Lloyd Hatch, Jr. and wife Sherry of Jonesboro, Arkansas; Larry Hatch and wife Brenda of Lawton; Scott Hatch and wife Laura of Lawton; brother-in-law Marshal Hatch, Houston, Texas; brother-in-law Harold Carter, Grants, New Mexico; grandchildren: Kyle Hatch and wife Alisha, Tyler Hatch and wife Kim, Kara Polk and husband Jacob, Austin Hatch, Kayla Brierton and husband Austin, and Braden Hatch; step-grandchildren: Jon Dunnam and Stephen Dunnam; 12 great-grandchildren: Mallory, Micah, Kingston, Kaiden, Kaileb, Addison, Jack, Hallie, Aubrey, Bennett, Kopelan, and Hudson; and several special nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents; daughter Janet Sue; brother Tom Hatch and wife Velma; sister Leora Hatch; and brother-in-law Orville Lee Carter.

Memorial contributions may be made to Centenary United Methodist Church, 704 SW D Ave. Lawton, OK 73501