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Note: dnesday, January 7, 2015. He was born in March, 1934, in Kansas City, Missouri, the only child of William Anthony Kim and Olive Florine Fields and grew up on a farm in East Lynn, attending Harrisonville High School, where he graduated in 1952. He went on to Central Missouri State College where he majored in music education and driver’s training, and later received a Master’s Degree in Education.
His teaching career began in Braymer and included Fort Osage and Northeast High Schools, and he went on to teach driver training for the Comprehensive Employment Training Act (CETA) program in Kansas City for a number of years. One more career change brought him to drive a courier truck for Purolator Courier/Emery Worldwide for the remainder of his working life. He retired from there to become a full-time gentleman farmer on their 11-acre farm in Blue Springs. During this time and for eleven years Howard was the interim choir director at the First Presbyterian Church in Independence. His love of people and desire to always leave them with a smile was the reason he truly enjoyed every work experience. His most enjoyable challenge was winning over the most disgruntled traffic violators in Traffic School with his own brand of humor and interesting facts. Even in his retirement, he very much enjoyed volunteering as Election Judge as well as his service playing piano every Wednesday at the Shangri-La Retirement Home.
He is survived by his wife, Ann Kim of their Oak Grove, MO home, two sons (from a previous marriage to Suzanne Bell in 1956), Chris Kim of Venice, CA and Bill Kim, his wife, Jennifer and granddaughters Katie and Jessica also of Oak Grove, MO. Howard’s granddaughters are both percussionists in the Oak Grove High School Sound of Panther Pride Marching Band.
Because of Howard’s love for music, in lieu of flowers, the family is requesting memorial donations be made to the Oak Grove High School Band for the purchase of new percussion instruments or to the music ministry of your church. Donations by check for the percussion instruments should be made out to “OGHS Band”.
The family has carried out Howard’s wish to help others by donating his body to the Kansas City University of Medicine and Bioscience for Cancer Research.
We also would like to express gratitude to the Vitas Hospice team who gave Howard comfort and loving care during his last several weeks.
A memorial service will be held January 17th, 2015, at 2:00pm at the Oak Grove First Baptist Church, 400 SE 14th Street with a fellowship reception to follow.
Note: John Howard Kim, 80, of Oak Grove, MO, passed away at his home surrounded by his family on We
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