Fred Souder Livingston, 85

Funeral services for Fred Souder Livingston, 85, will be held at 1 p.m. Friday, Dec. 21, 2017, at J.D. Lee & Sons Funeral Home, 7405 E. Ferrell Lane, across from Gordon’s Store in Rogersville. Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home with Masonic services beginning at 7:30 p.m..

Mr. Livingston died Dec. 17 in Maranatha Village in Springfield.

He was born Nov. 16, 1932, in Ava, the son of Fred and Elva Souder Livingston. Many knew him as Fred and others as Souder.

He lived in many different places in Ava and elsewhere. He worked at Harold Hutchison’s service station in Ava and also delivered ice to people at home. He lived in the old jail when his dad was the deputy sheriff and his mother cooked for the prisoners. He lived in Jefferson City when his dad worked in the license plate division of the state prison. He also lived in Corcoran, California, and in Buckhart in Douglas County.

He graduated from Ava High School in 1951. He enjoyed playing all sports and was center on the Ava basketball team; he also played on the first football team during 1948-1951. He joined the Air Force and served in the Korean War. On Aug. 11, 1953, in Ava, he married Ozark County native JoAnn Willhoit. They lived in California while Fred was in the service and then moved to Springfield, where he worked for Kraft Foods; he also owned and operated Mansfield Express and worked as a car salesman at Dennis Hanks Chevrolet in Ozark.

He became a Christian at the Ava General Baptist Church and was baptized in Cowskin Creek west of Ava. Later he joined the First General Baptist Church in Springfield, where he taught Sunday school for many years and was a deacon for several of those years.

He enjoyed his family, singing, playing music, storytelling and sharing fun-loving times with his many friends. He was a member of Henderson Masonic Lodge in Rogersville, the York Rite, Red Cross of Constantine, and he was a 33rd Degree member of the Scottish Rite in Joplin. He participated in the ritual and funeral cast of those organizations.

He is survived by JoAnn, his wife of 64 years; two sons, the Rev. Dennis Livingston and wife Theresa (Cline) of Hutchinson, Kansas, and their son, Clancey and his wife Virginia of Manhattan, Kansas, and Doug Livingston and wife Karen (Satterfield) and their son, Austin, all of Springfield; first cousin Doran Livingston of Willard; and several nieces, nephews, other relatives and many friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents; three sisters, Melba Bogart and twins Reba Hutchison and Freda Manis; and a brother, Robert “Bob” Livingston. 

Burial with military honors will be in Rivermonte Memorial Gardens in Springfield.

Memorial donations may be made to First General Baptist Church, 1400 W. Walnut, Springfield, MO 65806 or to Gideons International Springfield South Camp, P.O. Box 4221, Springfield, MO 65808.

Ozark County Times

504 Third Steet
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Phone: (417) 679-4641
Fax: (417) 679-3423