Kenneth Frank Eck
February 4, 1917 – February 3, 2018
Age: 100
Funeral services for Kenneth Frank Eck, 100, directed by Dudley Funeral Home of Waurika, were held at 2:00 p.m., on Tuesday, February 6, 2018, at the Shell St. Church of Christ in Healdton with Danny Huntsman officiating. Burial followed at Mt. Olive Cemetery in Healdton.
Kenneth Frank Eck was born on February 4, 1917, at Alma, Kansas to C.J and Rosa Barbara Noller Eck in their home that was built by his dad. His sister, Grace Eck Johnson, was nine years old. He passed from this life on Saturday, February 3, 2018, 11 hours shy of his 101st birthday, at the Veterans Center in Ardmore.
He graduated with the Healdton High School Class of 1934 and started working at Wade Drug Store at age 17. In WWII he was Chief Pharmacists Mate in charge of the Base 18 Hospital Pharmacy on Guam. He graduated from Southwestern Pharmacy School at Weatherford in 1950, with a record grade point average that stood for 25 years. Kenneth practiced pharmacy for 77 years, starting before registration was required. He was a registered pharmacist for 61 years. Statewide, he served as President of the Oklahoma Pharmacists Association and was on the Oklahoma State Board of Pharmacy, where he was the first Director of Internship. He won the coveted Bowl of Hygeia, awarded annually to one pharmacist in each state for outstanding community service, as did his sons, Mark and Biff. They were the only family with three living recipients in America. He was also appointed to the Attorneys’ Professional Responsibility Tribunal. He was a candidate for Oklahoma Lieutenant Governor in 1978. He served on the Silver Haired Legislature as Representative and Senator. In Healdton, Kenneth was a member of the Chamber of Commerce, the Hospital Board, the City Council, the Alumni Association, and the Lions Club. He was Commander of the local VFW and American Legion. He also served on the SODA Area Council on Ageing. He wrote a popular weekly column for The Healdton Herald, “Oil Patch Mania”. He was a member of the Shell Street Church of Christ and served as a Deacon for almost 50 years. He won numerous awards including Citations from the Oklahoma Legislature and the Chamber of Commerce Humanitarian Award.
Kenneth married Ouida Landon Eck in 1938, and to this union were born three sons, Alan Grantland, Mark Warren, and Dana “Biff” Landon Eck. Following Ouida’s untimely death in 1986, he married Lorraine Rubottom in 1989. Their marriage lasted for 19 years until her death. He was blessed with 9 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren.
Kenneth was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Ouida; wife, Lorraine; sister, Grace Eck Johnson; brother-in-law, Frank Johnson; daughter-in-law, Martha Bedford Eck; and infant granddaughter, Sarah Renee Eck.
He is survived by his sons, Alan and wife, Elaine, Mark and wife, Sandi, and “Biff” and wife, Valarie Eck; 9 grandchildren: John Alan Eck and wife, Melissa, Stephen Eck and wife, Megan, Jeremy Eck and wife, Stacy, Kenna Eck Schwerdtfeger and husband, Tyson, Travis Eck and wife, Shelley, Megan Eck Nix and husband, James, Jacob Eck and wife, Amy, David Eck and wife, Brittany, and Danielle Eck; 22 great-grandchildren: Summer, Ethan, Rebekah, and Macey Eck, Elijah and Meredith Eck, Davin, Landon, Kayden, Kellin, and Stella Eck, Owen and Kate Schwerdtfeger, Arwen, Jonas, and Remy Eck, Jackson, Cole, and Sarah Nix, Austin and Allyson Eck, and Isaac Eck; and only niece, Barbara Johnson Wall and husband, A.V. and their sons, Kirk and Kent.
Pallbearers were his six grandsons: John Alan, Stephen, Jeremy, Travis, Jacob, and David Eck.
In lieu of flowers, donation memorials may be made to: Healdton Alumni Association, Kenneth Eck Alumni Scholarship Fund, or Southwestern Oklahoma State University College of Pharmacy, Kenneth Eck Scholarship Fund.
Special thanks go to the wonderful staff of the Lawton and Ardmore Veterans Centers.
