Lonnie Odell Bearden

Lonnie Odell Bearden, 83, entered his eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven on Sunday, October 25, 2009. The son of Naomi (Jackson) and Lonnie Alford Bearden, he was born on September 15, 1926, in Dierks, Arkansas, where he graduated from high school. He was a U.S. Army veteran of World War II and the Korean Conflict, having attained the rank of Sgt. First Class. He was in the military over eight years, serving in the Philippines with the Bushmasters, and in Japan, Germany, and France. During peacetime, he served as a Military Policeman. He served with the Second Division in Korea, and was in the Wonju and Chosin Reservoir Campaign. He was a Senior Vice Commander and Life Member of Military Order of the Purple Heart and a member of the Fellowship of Carpenters. He was also a member of the Second Infantry Division Korean War Veterans Alliance and the Second (Indian Head) Division Association. He married Violet L. Harris on June 6, 1953 in Nashville, Arkansas. They moved from Broken Bow, Oklahoma to Abilene in 1962. He was a member and former deacon at Brook Hollow Christian Church in Abilene. Mr. Bearden graduated from Oklahoma A & M Tech in Okmulgee, Oklahoma, in 1956. In 1995, he retired from Gifford TV & Electronics as a television technician after working in the electronics field for over 41 years. He was preceded in death by an infant daughter, Sharon K. Bearden; his parents; a sister, Verdell High and husband, Herb High; and a niece Robbie High. Survivors include his wife, Violet L. Bearden of Abilene; daughters, Vicki Lynn Kessel of Bryan, Julie Ann Hankins and husband, Tim, of Abilene, and Lori Gail Sims and husband, Lee, of Forsan, Texas; six grandchildren, Holley K. Dougherty of San Angelo, Eric Hankins of Abilene, Jason Kessel of Bryan, and Jerry Sims, Matthew Sims and Shay Sims all of Forsan; as well as two great-grandchildren, Christy Leeann Jacobs and Justin Templeton both of San Angelo. He is also survived by his brother, Chesla Bearden and wife, Marie, of Dierks, Arkansas; brother-in-law, Lloyd Harris and wife, Patricia, of Rochelle, Texas; four nephews; four nieces; and several cousins, great-nieces and great-nephews. Funeral services will be 11:00 a.m. Thursday, October 29, at Brook Hollow Christian Church with Rev. Penny Biddy officiating. Interment will follow at 1:00 p.m. in the Texas State Veterans Cemetery at Abilene directed by The Hamil Family Funeral Home, 6449 Buffalo Gap Road in Abilene. The family will receive friends from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home. Memorials may be made to Brook Hollow Christian Church, 2310 So. Willis, Abilene, TX 79605, or Military Order of the Purple Heart c/o PO Box 781, Abilene, TX 79604.