Gayle Lee Edmondson's Obituary
Gayle Lee Edmondson AKA Huggy the Clown departed to be with our Lord Saturday morning January 11, 2025. He passed away peacefully at home at the age of 88. He was born July 26, 1936, in rural Ottawa County, Oklahoma to Lee and Ruth (Kidwell) Edmondson.
Gayle graduated from Oklahoma State in 1960. He worked his way through college as a Fuller Brush Man and actually took a pay cut when he graduated and went to work as an accountant at Conoco in Ponca City. He commuted at night to Tulsa until he completed his MBA from Tulsa University. He passed the exam and became a Certified Public Accountant in 1967.
Gayle opened his CPA firm in Miami in January 1973 in a one room office doing all the work himself. The following year he added 2 rooms and a secretary. The firm grew from less than 50 clients that first year to over 1,200 clients when he sold the practice in 2008.
Through his career he had other businesses including Showplace Carpet Store, Cherokee Gold Mining, Quad States Distributing, P&G Investments, Midway Oil, Three Way Oil and a 440-acre farm raising beef cattle.
He was a long-time member of Grove Masonic Lodge #087, Akdar Shriners, Grand Lake Shrine Club, Royal Order of Jesters Court 47, and a founding member of the Joplin Tristatesmen Barbershop Chorus of the SPEBSQSA.
Gayle is survived by his loving wife Patricia, sons Gayle II (Debbie) of Bartlesville, OK, son Jim (Gail) of Counce, TN, sister Linda Scott of Sacramento, CA and special caregiver Karen Densley of Columbus, KS, five grandchildren and seven great grandchildren. Also, his step daughter Fawna Coons (Brandon) their children Melanie, Landon and Madalyn all of rural Columbus, KS.
Gayle was preceded in death by his parents and very special cousin Yvonne Ketcher.
The family will receive friends at the Bath-Naylor Funeral Home in Columbus, KS from 4-6pm, Wednesday January 15, 2025. Condolences may be left at www.bathnaylor.com. Memorial contributions in Gayles memory may be made to the Grand Lake Shrine Club Children's Transportation Fund; these may be left at or mailed to the funeral home. Services are under the direction of the Bath-Naylor Funeral Home 611 S. East Ave, Columbus, KS 66725.
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