Sigel Cleon Amyx, known to his friends and family as Cleon, aged 92, passed away peacefully in his sleep on October 18th, 2024 after a long, colorful life.
Cleon was born on February 1, 1932 to Curtis Sigel and Georgia “Wheeler” Amyx in Ozark County, Missouri. One of eight siblings, he graduated from Gainesville High School and was drafted in 1952 into the Korean War, where he served as a wheel vehicle mechanic. Stationed at Castle Air Force Base in California, Cleon worked as a mechanic for ground vehicles until his discharge from the Army in 1954.
He married Sylvia Snelling in 1956 in St. Charles, Missouri and took up work at Ford Motor Company in St. Louis, Missouri. He then returned to Gainesville, where the couple had three children: James Anthony “Tony”, Timothy, and Tracey. He then took up work for his father-in-law P.W. Snelling at Aromatic Cedar Products. After the untimely death of his wife in 1975, Cleon then married Titania Laughlin in 1976, gaining two children: Kathy and Stephen. He then left the Snelling family business in the capable hands of his brother-in-law Warren and mother-in-law Leona to pursue a career as a carpenter. He continued living and working as an independent business owner for many years. One of his great passions during this time was hunting, and the stories of these hunting trips were some of his favorites to tell friends and family.
Cleon was preceded in death by his parents Sigel and Georgia, and his siblings: Ella, James “Jim”, Anne, George Ray “Bob”, Lyla, Glendol, and Maxine, his first wife: Sylvia; his second wife, Titania “Tanya”, and his eldest and middle sons, James Anthony “Tony” and Timothy “Bird”.
He is survived by his children: Tracey Amyx (Katrina), Kathy Morrison (Pat), and Stephen Laughlin (Heather), his eleven grandchildren: Sandy Naegle, Jennifer Yeager, Morgan Spoor, Doug Amyx, Megan McLaughlin, Kelsey Morrison, Conrad Laughlin, Sunni Amyx, Emily McCorkindale, Gabe Morrison, and Eli Amyx. He is also survived by fifteen great-grandchildren, one great-great-grandchild, and many nieces and nephews.
Graveside services will be held at Smith Chapel Cemetery with military honors on October 26, 2024, at 10:00 AM with Wayne Stewart officiating. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Clinkingbeard Funeral Home, Gainesville, MO. The funeral home will hold him at rest for viewing on Thursday and Friday preceding the official graveside services.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Smith Chapel cemetery.
