KENNY KOWENA, 1949-2010

	TRIBUTE AND REMEMBRANCE
	KENNY KOWENA 1948-2010
	LAWTON CONSTITUTION, APRIL 18, 2010 Kenneth Kowena INDIAHOMA - Funeral for Kenneth Kowena, 61, Indiahoma, will be at 11 a.m. Monday at the Cache High School Auditorium with Lloyd Lee, Chuck Bowers and Pastor Willie Doyeto officiating. Mr. Kowena went to his heavenly home Thursday, April 15, 2010, in Indiahoma. A prayer service will be at 6 p.m. today at Comanche Nation Funeral Home. Burial with military honors will be at Post Oak Cemetery, Indiahoma. He was born May 2, 1948, in Lawton, to Weldon and Pauline Komacheet Kowena. He grew up in the Indiahoma area and graduated from Indiahoma High School. He attended Great Plains Technology Center. He married Karla Sue Cable on Aug. 17, 1972, in Wichita Falls, Texas. He served honorably in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Vietnam Conflict until Dec. 27, 1968. He was discharged from San Diego, Calif., and received the National Defense Service Medal and the Good Conduct Medal. He was a member of the Comanche Nation of Oklahoma and attended New Beginnings Assembly of God. He loved following the Cache girls basketball team, enjoyed woodworking, spending time with his family and friends and working on cars. He loved his MoTown and oldies music and eating at Los Tres on Fridays. He enjoyed playing slow pitch and fast pitch softball and going on vacation with his family. He was employed by L and J Car Sales in Cache. He enjoyed working out in the community. He worked for Garrod Marshall Fence and Supply Store, McCoy Construction in Medicine Park, Jewiett Scott Trucking in Mangum, Indiahoma School and OEH at the Indian Hospital. Survivors include his wife, Karla Sue, of the home; three daughters: Kendra Jones and Kari Oellien, both of Cache, and Kalicia Kowena, Indiahoma; six grandchildren: Heather and Bryan Mullins, C. J. and Dante Jones, Alexis and Makayla Oellien; four sisters: Juanita “E.J.” Carter, Springfield, Va.; Rhoda Kowena, Daisy Rowlings and Kate Massey, all of Snyder; three brothers: Clem Kowena, Fort Worth, Texas; James Kowena, Lawton; and Weldon “Chic” Kowena Jr., Phoenix, Ariz.; two uncles: Lewis Kowena and Bob Tenequer; an aunt, Barbara Patterson; and many nieces, nephews, cousins, other family members and friends. He was preceded in death by his father, Weldon Kowena; a sister, Eva LaRue Nahquaddy; a brother, Frank Kowena; and his grandparents: Dorothy and Bob Komacheet and Felix and Katy Kowena. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A TRIBUTE TO KENNY KOWENA A Word for Kenny, My Comanche Friend….. May the eagle carry your spirit across the threshold of time and let you down in the land of innocence far beyond that great divide… May a thousand generations of your people be there to take your hand and help you understand…you have come home…you have come home… May the prairies lay before you a vista, vast and green with pristine rivers and snow capped mountains…an endless space of endless time and endless dreams… May you and the pony you ride upon become as one racing across the plains with the wind in your face and the sun at your back…faster and faster you will fly…moving at the speed of thought… May the buffalo run before you in herds too great to number…a sea of motion and movement rumbling across the grassland like the sound of ceaseless thunder… May the rattle snake sing a song of dread, dare he dance across your path way while the wolf, and the coyote, the black crow and the red tailed hawk all whisper your name… And may even the mighty mountain lion give you favor…give you room to run…give you room to roam…for he knows that your spirit never walks alone… May you walk with God…Forever… Jim (Jimmy Carter, Indiahoma, OK) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LAWTON CONSTITUTION, APRIL 17, 2010 Kowena remembered as asset to community BY JOEY GOODMAN SPORTS EDITOR JGOODMAN@LAWTON-CONSTITUTION.COM CACHE - Weekends are normally fun this time of the year, but around Cache it will be hard to celebrate and have a good time because the community lost one of its best assets, Kenny Kowena, in a tragic incident that changed the lives of his family in a matter of seconds. Bank of the Wichitas President Eddie Dabney said it best, “Cache just lost one of its best assets. Kenny would do anything for everyone, whether he knew them or not; he was just a special person and a great friend.” Kowena was struck by an automobile and killed Thursday evening while using his riding lawnmower in his front yard along Cache Road between Indiahoma and Cache. For Larry Logue and Julie Logue, Kowena was more than an employee, he was part of the family. The Logues operate several businesses in Cache including L&J Car Sales and Kowena did a wide variety of jobs for his long-time friends. “Kenny was one of those unique people: you could trust him with anything,” Julie Logue said. “We’d give him money to go buy something and he’d bring back the change, every last penny. He could do anything, regardless of what it was. “When we started the construction business, he really enjoyed that because he loved woodworking; he loved the challenge of getting things to fit and look good.” It went beyond building fence and construction work. “I remember he and Susie helping when Tanya (Logue) and Russell (Goodman) were getting married; they helped all day with the decorations and Kenny made sure everything was just perfect. He’d take his time and make sure it was done right. And, the thing I will always remember is his smile — you never saw him without a big smile on his face.” Kowena was also a big sports fan, and he was excited when Cache girls claimed the State championship a month ago in Oklahoma City. In fact, during the regional tournament at Cache, Kowena was recruited by the Cache Public Schools to provide security outside the gym. “We hired him to guard the buses and make sure nobody did any damage to them,” Cache boys basketball coach Lonnie Nunley said. “He was dependable; that’s why they got him to help us. But, Kenny loved the games, so he’d slip in the back door every now and then to see how we (Cache teams) were doing. He loved sports.” One of his neighbors — Connie Gatlin — learned about his compassion and concern for others several years ago when her van broke down in the middle of the summer while she was taking her two daughters to Lawton. “He was my buddy. He stopped and picked us up and gave us a ride,” Gatlin said. “He was so nice; he went out of his way to help me out and he didn’t even know me.” Dabney said that the 61-year-old Kowena prided himself of staying in shape and being able to work with the younger men. “Whenever we’d see each other, as soon as we shook hands, Kenny would grab my biceps and say, ‘You better start working out,’” Dabney said. “Then he’d flex his muscle and say, ‘Not bad for an old man.” Where the story really turns sad is that Kowena — who was helping raise a couple of grandchildren — was pondering retirement and had entrusted his friend Dabney with the news in recent weeks. “Not long ago he leaned over and told me, ‘I think I’m going to retire,’” Dabney said. “He said he just wanted to spend time with the girls (three daughters) and grandkids. It was something he hoped to do pretty soon but he never got the chance.” Another thing about Kowena was that you always knew where you stood because he’d tell you what he was thinking. “He always called me brother,” Dabney said. “And, whenever he’d walk away, he’d turn around and say, ‘I love you.’ I’ll sure miss hearing him saying that. It just doesn’t seem possible.” Funeral arrangements are pending with Comanche Nation Funeral home, but friends said that a prayer service will be held Sunday evening and the funeral will be Monday.

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