Gary Vaughn Kieffer, 71, died Dec. 2, 2021, due to Covid-19 pneumonia.
Gary was born in Tecumseh, Feb. 13, 1950, to Lester B. and Ruth E. Kieffer and grew up on a farm southeast of Tecumseh.
Gary graduated as valedictorian from Tecumseh High School with the class of 1968. After his graduation, he attended the University of Oklahoma until 1970 at the height of the Vietnam War when he enlisted in the United States Navy. He became a petty officer, attended school in Great Lakes, IL, and became a fire control technician.
He gave his life to Jesus Christ when he was 20.
In the fall of 1971, while on leave, Gary met Beverly Reaves. They fell in love and were soon married on March 26, 1972. That spring, Gary was assigned to a destroyer in Norfolk, VA, and in the fall of 1972, he was sent to Vietnam on the U.S.S. Blandy. Toward the end of the war, Gary returned to Virginia and was honorably discharged in Nov. 1974.
Gary and Beverly returned to Tecumseh and Gary continued his studies at the University of Oklahoma where he received a BS degree in electrical engineering in 1976 and began his first job with Mobil Pipeline in Texas.
During the following years, Gary worked for many major oil companies like Houston Natural Gas and Houston Pipeline, Enron, and Sunoco. He developed and completed various projects for these companies, including designing a Scada System for Houston Natural Gas, one of his proudest endeavors.
Following Gary’s retirement from Sun Oil in Tulsa, he continued doing some consulting work and remained very interested and knowledgeable of new techniques in retrieving oil from old fields.
Gary was a member of several Southern Baptist churches. He taught Sunday School and served on various committees. For the last few years, he had been a member of Immanuel Baptist Church in Shawnee.
In 2020 for their 49th wedding anniversary, Gary planned an 11 day surprise Amtrack trip for Beverly.
Gary was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers, James and Floyd; and a sister, Irene.
He is survived by his wife; three sons and their wives, James and Vikki Kieffer of Virginia Beach, Phil Kieffer of Tecumseh, and Chris and Beth Kieffer of Tulsa; four grandchildren, Luca and Sofia Kieffer, and Isabella Kieffer and Korwin Collier; sisters include Colleen Stover, Pat and husband Otho Montgomery, Charlotte Harrison; sisters-in-law Anona Kieffer, Earleen Motley and husband Rex and brother-in-law Mark Reaves and wife Caroline and a number of nieces, nephews, relatives and friends.
A memorial service honoring Gary’s life will be held 10 am Dec. 9, 2021, at Immanuel Baptist Church with Dr. Todd Fisher officiating and assisted by Jason Henson, and will also be live streamed.
