Herbert W. Killough, age 95, relocated to heaven to be with our loving God and His son our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on April 22, 2019. He is survived by his baby brother, Wayne Killough (age 85), his daughter Mary Linda McGroom and son-in-law Bill McGroom, their six children: Mary Michelle Clapp (Michael), Laura Lynn Crook (Christopher), Herbert Michael Steward, Jr. (Missy), James Robert Steward (Jessie), Libby Pelham (Randy), and Katie Stokes (Simon), his step-daughter Peggy Malone and her two daughters Brandi and Ashley, and his 15 great-grandchildren.
Herbert was born in Ecru, Mississippi on January 26, 1924 to Will Ed and Mary Elizabeth “Lizzy” Killough. He grew up on a farm near Sarepta, MS with his brothers Lamoine and Wayne, and sister Kathleen. As a child his mother would often find him fishing in the creek when he was supposed to be working in the field.
After high school he joined the army and became a member of the amphibian corp. Serving on navy ships and fighting the Japanese on various islands in the Pacific during World War II. After the war, he and his wife Hazel had a daughter and lived in Memphis and California for a brief time. After his divorce from Hazel, he resettled in Memphis and married Francis Elaine Malone and became a loving father to her daughter Peggy.
He was a loyal employee and supervisor at Willard battery until it closed. He continued to support his family by working at Big Star and painting homes. He loved seeing the joy on his customers’ faces as they saw the end result of his efforts. He loved fishing especially with his son-in-law Mike Steward and his father Herbert Steward.
He was a true family man often hosting family gatherings at his home including Elaine’s sister Kaptola and her children Mary, Diane, and James. He was especially fond of Christmas parties when their entire family gathered to share the love of Christ. Watching the joy on the children’s faces as they opened their presents made his own face light up. Herbert and Elaine made sure that every child had a present to open, even unexpected guests. He loved visiting his siblings and nieces and nephews (Richard Adkins, Jerry Adkins, Brenda Morris, Barbara Norman, Wanda Janet Poynor, Mike Killough, and Larry Killough) in Mississippi, Texas and Tennessee. In his later years it was very important to him to attend every family reunion they hosted. He made them each feel special and would do anything he could to help them.
He was first and foremost a devout Christian who outlived three Baptist Churches in Memphis. His faith was obvious to anyone who knew him. For the past seven years he has resided at Kennington Pointe Independent Living Facility where he was known for his faith and was always asked by his fellow residents to lead them in prayer.
His family thanks the nurses and staff at Quince Nursing and Rehabilitation Center for the love and care they provided Herbert in his last few weeks.
