Wendell Kerr

ADVANCE, Mo. -- Harold Wendell Kerr, 92, of Cape Girardeau, died Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2020, at the Lutheran Home.

Wendell was born in Gipsy, Missouri, on May 26, 1928, son of Milton and Mayme Rea Kerr.

Betty and Wendell Kerr

Wendell is survived by his wife of 70 years, Betty; daughter, Renee (Dan) Shandy, Cape Girardeau; son, Michael (Wendy) Kerr, Las Vegas, Nevada; granddaughter, Chelsea Bowerman (husband John Dedeke), St. Louis; brother, Gerald Kerr, Union, Missouri; and numerous nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents; brother, Gale Kerr; and sister, Conna Abernathy.

A private family graveside service will be held today, at Berrong Cemetery in Gipsy.

Wendell enjoyed the competition that came with athletics, playing on the Gipsy baseball team and the Zalma basketball team. Later in life, he became an avid archer and skilled golfer. Wendell was one of very few individuals (that company includes Benjamin Franklin and Albert Einstein) to be ambidextrous, batting and playing golf left-handed, a righty with bowling and archery.

After graduating Zalma High School, Wendell attended what was then the Southeast Missouri State College, and taught in one-room country schoolhouses in southeast Missouri. He became a member of the Zalma Masonic Lodge.

Wendell first caught Betty's eye when he would ride shirtless and bareback on his horse from the family farm to the Gipsy general store. Wendell and Betty Jean Senter, the pretty, young daughter of the store owners, were married Aug. 13, 1950, at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Farmington, Missouri. The couple wed when she was just 18 and he was 22. They celebrated their 70th anniversary this past August.

Shortly after being married, the couple moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where Wendell served four years in the U.S. Air Force, stationed at the Sandia Base. There he worked on the Armed Forces Special Weapons Project, a top-secret atomic weapons effort. He talked about witnessing the first post-World War II continental atomic bomb drop, "without the juice," in 1951 near Las Vegas.

Following military service, the Kerrs made Cape Girardeau their home. Wendell was employed by the Missouri Department of Transportation (MODOT) for 34 years, retiring as a highly-respected senior construction inspector. He oversaw many projects, including construction of the bridge over the railroad between Scott City and Illmo, rest areas on I-55 and the major construction project that widened William Street to four lanes. Wendell's children would sometimes spot him on the job and decided that Dad's job was "pointing."

Wendell and Betty, along with his siblings and their spouses, were owners and operators of Gipsy Bridge Park campground on Castor River for many years where he also operated a canoe rental. His granddaughter Chelsea fondly recalls her grandpa teaching her the Cotton-Eyed Joe on the basketball court where campers sometimes square danced at night.

After becoming members of the Bootheel Bowhunters, Wendell and Betty opened Kerr Archery in the basement of their family home which led to countless new friends who relied on Wendell's expertise. He was exceptionally proud of son Mike, who captured numerous national champion archery titles and also shot professionally for PSE Archery.

During the day Wendell made sure Missouri's roadways and bridges were well-constructed and safe. At night, he became the "go to" guy for archery equipment. Avid hunter and nephew Jim Abernathy recalls, "Every bowhunter over the age of 50 passed through the Kerrs' shop. We all got our start there."

After three very different careers, Wendell retired, taking up another sport with a passion. Golf. He became a familiar face at the Jaycee Golf Course, where he assumed the duty of scheduling play for the senior set. He accomplished the nearly impossible feat of a hole-in-one and was proud to earn a plaque at the club commemorating the achievement. Chelsea said her grandpa began her driving lessons on the golf cart.

Who was Wendell Kerr? He was kind. He was quiet. He was generous. He was always smiling, always helpful, always humble. He was deeply devoted to his family. He was a good man. His was a life well lived.

Morgan Funeral Home in Advance is in charge of arrangements.

Please share your condolences and memories for his family online at www.morganfh.com