Funeral services for Kenneth L. Youngblood will be 10:00 a.m. Saturday, December 1, 2018 at Boulevard Congregational & Christian Church with Dr. Ralph Alexander, Pastor officiating.

Entombment with full military honors will follow in the Chapel of Peace Mausoleum at Sunset Memorial Gardens under direction of Becker-Rabon Funeral Home.

The family will greet friends from 5-7 pm Friday at the funeral home.

Kenneth L. Youngblood, who died on November 24, 2018, was proud of being a native Lawtonian. He was born April 16, 1926, to parents with histories unique to Lawton. His mother, Lula Lowery, arrived in Lawton via covered wagon from Iowa. They provided for the family by hauling wagon loads of water to town for the newcomers arriving to settle the area. His father, Robert P. Youngblood, left South Carolina serving as a water boy for the power company as it worked its way west. By the time he reached Lawton, Robert was a young supervisor looking to settle down. Kenneth enjoyed sharing stories of growing up in Lawton from attending Washington Elementary School where he won awards for reading the most books and served as a paper boy for the families in the big houses near downtown Lawton to being an usher for the Dome and Murray movie theaters during high school. After graduating from Lawton High School, he enlisted in the Army to do his bit to end World War II. In its wisdom, the Army took one look at Kenneth's slight frame and pulled him from his military clerk duties, made him a Sergeant, and sent him to tail gunner training. He said he liked the view from his perch in the tail but not much else. With the end of the war, Kenneth hitchhiked back to Lawton. Somewhere around New Mexico, a trucker picked him up and asked where he was headed. Turns out that trucker was headed to Wichita Falls, Texas, and he made it home where he married his hometown sweetheart, Dorothy Lawson. The next step for this young couple was enrolling in law school at the University of Oklahoma. Upon graduation, they put their growing family in the car and headed to Washington, DC, because Kenneth rejoined the Army as a JAG officer. His JAG career was interesting and varied as he saw the world serving in Japan, Korea, Germany and Vietnam, taught at the JAG School in Charlottesville, VA, attained the rank of Colonel and served as the SJA at Fort Sill, OK, and ended his career as the SJA for US Army Southern Command in Panama. Kenneth received many awards and medals during his military career, but he didn't say much about them, preferring instead to say he was just a soldier. Three years after opening a law office in Lawton, Kenneth was elected as Associate District Judge for Comanche County in 1979, and served until he was appointed District Judge in 1981. He and Dorothy were active in the community and strong supporters of Boulevard Christian Church, Cameron University, and Comanche County Memorial Hospital. But their passion in life was tennis, and they played anytime, anywhere well into their 80's.

Kenneth is survived by his three children, William G. (Jerry) Youngblood and his wife Elaine, of Nashville, TN; Karen Youngblood and husband, Ken Harris, of Lawton; and Kay Davis and husband Chuck, of Piedmont, OK. He also leaves great memories with his six grandchildren, Flagg Youngblood, Megan Youngblood, Ashley Harris Coles, Jennifer Harris, Shannon Davis Nagy, and Jeremy Davis and six great grandchildren.

His parents, his wife and his two sisters, Betty Stimpson and Mildred Adair, preceded him in death.

Memorial contributions may be made to Boulevard Congregational and Christian Church, 5319 W. Gore Blvd., Lawton, Oklahoma 73505.