Jack Robert Pemberton was born Dec. 27, 1922, in Wisner, Neb.,
to James Robert Pemberton and Lucy Arlene Jones.
He died Jan. 26, 2008.
He had one older sister, Florence Pemberton Propst. The family
moved to Kiowa shortly after his birth, and Kiowa was his home
until his death.
His parents and sister preceded him in death.
He was educated in Kiowa schools and graduated from Kiowa High
School in 1941.
He attended Barnes School of Commerce in Denver for one year
before he entered the U.S. Army in February of 1943, where he
served his country, mostly in the in the Pacific, during World War
II, until December 1945.
Upon returning to Kiowa, he went into business with his father,
and shortly thereafter, took over the business known as Jack’s
Service. That was the Conoco gas station in downtown
Kiowa.
He was a jobber for Conoco beginning in 1949, and delivered fuel
to many farmers and ranchers in Elbert County and eastern Colorado
until he retired five years ago.
In 1951, he married Beryl Huscher. She preceded him in death in
1974. In 1981, he married Sylva Garland. Jack always said God was
so good to give him two wonderful wives.
Jack loved Christ, his country, his family, his community. He
was a member of St. Mark’s Presbyterian Church since a young man,
where he served in many different roles and positions and on many
committees over the years.
A few years ago, he decided he’d try being a Baptist and started
attending Majestic View.
He was a founding member of the Kiowa Lions Club, and for 60
years, was an active member of both the Lions Club and the American
legion Post No. 82.
He, along with others, was instrumental in helping Kiowa form
its volunteer fire department. He served on the board of the Kiowa
Fire District until the late 1990s.
The first “ambulance” for Kiowa was a 1959 Chevy station wagon,
and in the 1960s, he and Vera Johnson started a letter writing
campaign to raise funds to get a “real” ambulance. He trained to be
an emergency medical technician to help better serve the community.
He served for 14 years as mayor of Kiowa, as well as other
positions on the town board.
He was on the first land use committee in the county and was on
the board of Elizabeth Cemetery. He was always a big supporter of
Kiowa schools sports teams, girls and boys.
His two wives gave him six daughters, two natural and four
step-daughters, he loved them all. And he used to say he couldn’t
have better sons-in-law if he had picked them himself. He loved
them as his own.
He is survived by his wife, Sylva; daughters Jean Ann (Don)
Siecke of Castle Rock, Lucy (Brad) Behan of Castle Rock, Shelley
(Tim) Buterbaught of Aurora, Debbie (Walt) Sutton of Kiowa, Natalie
(Mark) Taylor of New York, and Cindy Garland of Longmont;
grandchildren Erin and Rachel Buterbaught, Brandon Behan, Melody
(Clay) Allen, Walt Sutton III, Dustin Jack (Jessica) Sutton,
Bradley (Abby) Sullivan, Matthew Taylor and Becky Hill;
great-grandchildren Breanne and Chelsea Allen, and Tristan
Sullivan; and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, sisters and
brothers in law. He was preceded in death by great-granddaughter
Rian Sullivan.
The funeral service was Feb. 1, 2008, at Majestic View Church in
Kiowa with interment in Elizabeth Cemetery.
Olinger Andrews Caldwell Gibson Funeral Home, Castle Rock,
handled arrangements.