Kenneth Erwin Lightsey, age 89, passed away peacefully and went to be with the Lord on October 23, 2024, in Seguin, Texas.
Kenneth was born on November 5, 1934, in Luling, Texas, to Roy Frederick and Johnnie Marie Wright Lightsey.
Kenneth loved being outdoors. He enjoyed fishing, climbing trees, shooting rocks with his slingshot, hunting with his dog Blackie, and swimming with his friends in Seals Creek and the San Marcos River.
Born during the Great Depression, while going to school Kenneth also worked as a child and teenager, picking cotton, harvesting watermelons around Luling, and hunting as a source of food for his family. He also was employed as a soda jerk at Macky’s Drug Store where he unknowingly served ice cream and fountain drinks to his future wife, Genita.
He was a 1953 graduate of Luling High School, where he played on both the football and tennis teams and was voted Senior Class Favorite.
Kenneth honorably served in the United States Air Force with training in electronics and radar repair. Later, he also served in the National Guard.
He officially met his future wife, Genita Rose Williams, on a blind date and they were married the next year on June 9, 1962, at the McNeil Baptist Church, outside of Luling, Texas. Kenneth affectionately called Genita “the Sweetest of the Sweet.”
Kenneth and Genita moved to Alice, Texas, where Kenneth worked at Schlumberger Well Service Company as an electronic technician, earning awards and recognitions for improving the electronic equipment and systems. Kenneth and Genita’s three children were born in Alice.
Kenneth and Genita moved their family in 1972 when Kenneth took a job at Motorola in Seguin, Texas, where he worked for 26 years, retiring in 1998. Seguin became their final home.
Kenneth was a responsible and hard-working man who always took care of his family. Though intense at times, he was also a fun-loving man who enjoyed fishing, boating, and playing tennis, winning multiple city league trophies. Ping pong tournaments during the holidays were a family tradition, and he was often the best player, even into his eighties! He also liked doing yardwork, gardening, and tinkering with old electronics, leaving behind a shed full of relic radios and antiquated circuits he had worked on over the years.
He created memories camping with his family in state parks and visiting amusement parks, including Disney World, where he said that he was “the biggest kid there.” There was not a rollercoaster that he would not ride! He also enjoyed playing with his grandchildren.
Kenneth professed his faith in Jesus Christ in adulthood and was baptized at Seguin First Baptist Church, where he served as secretary of his Sunday School Class for many years. He was a Good Samaritan at heart, willing to help others, including mowing an elderly neighbor widow’s lawn regularly for many years. Everyone who interacted with him commented on how courteous he was and how they enjoyed talking with him.
Kenneth was a cancer survivor, and he will be remembered as a proud son, husband, father, grandfather, and friend.
Kenneth was preceded in death by his wife of 62 years, Genita Lightsey. He is survived by his children, of whom he was proud, Brenda Hoelscher and husband Darrin of San Antonio, Texas, Barbra Purcell and husband John of San Antonio, Texas, and Brian Lightsey and wife Helen of Leander, Texas; four grandchildren, Samuel Lightsey and wife Alyha of Leander, Texas, Brooklyn Purcell of San Antonio, Texas, Daniel Lightsey and wife Keilany of South Bend, Indiana, and Elizabeth Purcell of San Antonio, Texas; and a number of extended family and friends.
The family would like to give special thanks and appreciation to those who cared for Kenneth: Dr. James Rider along with the staff of Argent Court Assisted Living, Nesbit Living & Recovery Center, and Guadalupe Regional Hospice Services, and Mary and Advanced Home Healthcare.
The funeral will be on Friday, November 1, 2024, at O’Bannon Funeral Home in Luling, Texas with a viewing at 10 a.m. followed by a service at 11 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the MD Anderson Cancer Center (www.mdanderson.org/gifts).
