Obituary of Kevin Ray Greenawalt

Kevin Ray Greenawalt passed away on October 4, 2024, surrounded by family at Memorial Hermann Hospital in Katy, Texas at the age of 62.  He was born on May 7, 1962 in Houston, Texas, the sixth and last child of Marjorie C. (Wendt) and Charles Ray Greenawalt.  Although Kevin was born in Houston, the family soon after moved to Palacios, Texas where they enjoyed a small-town upbringing where everyone knew everything about you and cousins were as close as brothers and sisters.  In 1968, the family moved to Waco, Texas where Kevin made lifelong friends and learned to love everything about Waco.  The family moved back to the Houston area in 1976 for Marjorie’s job, but Kevin never gave up is desire to move back to Waco.  While his older siblings were in the band, Kevin was active in the choir in high school and always loved to sing.  He was super excited when he was cast to be one of the sailors in the school play South Pacific his senior year – one of his proudest moments was when the family was there for his final performance.  After graduating from South Houston High School, Kevin returned to Waco.  He worked in various jobs over the years but one of his favorites was at Ridgewood Country Club.  He truly enjoyed meeting so many new people and became close friends with many of the members there.  Kevin especially enjoyed the times he was asked to be “Santa Claus” or the Easter Bunny at the Club as he loved interacting with children although he would never marry or have children of his own.  Kevin was so honored when then President George W Bush shook his hand and took a picture with him after playing a round of golf at Ridgewood, which is close to his ranch in Crawford, TX!  He worked at welding and other jobs over the years with his latest job being part of the maintenance team at Flamco (OmniMax).  Kevin was proud to be part of the team keeping all the many production machines running day after day.  He loved his job very much and even as he experienced health issues, he felt like he made a difference at work and would not talk about leaving the team short.

Kevin was an outgoing individual who became instant friends with anyone he struck up a conversation with…and he could talk to anyone about anything.  Kevin loved fishing from an early age when he would fish with his grandparents as that was their version of babysitting - and he could talk your ear off about the big ones that got away! In the 90’s, Kevin was part of a group of friends who would perform at Texas Safari on the weekends and have mock gunfights - which he loved and would forever talk about…he could tell you all about the different people and who was shooting whom each weekend.  He was truly disappointed when Texas Safari shut down.  In recent years, he enjoyed fishing or golfing with his older brother, John.  And John invited him on a deer hunt in November 2023, where Kevin checked off another item on his bucket list – he bagged his first deer!  And on top of that, he did it with the rifle of his oldest brother, Lonnie, who had passed away the previous year.  It was the highlight of Kevin’s year!  Kevin loved his family and would frequently make the trip to Houston to be there for special occasions or just because he needed some warm hugs-and he gave the best hugs.  Kevin was always very close to his mom (forever the “baby” of the family) and over the years, was happy to schedule vacation time to drive her to Blue Earth, Minnesota for family reunions or take a cruise to Alaska - which was on her bucket list, and she finally managed to do just after turning 80!  Kevin was a best friend to many and was always ready to get in the car to rescue someone whose car broke down or take care of someone, if needed.  And Kevin loved to read and could always be seen with a large book (usually one of a series) under one arm, reading glasses perched on his nose and a pipe in his mouth.  He had the biggest heart and he welcomed so many into his heart all through his life.

Kevin is preceded in death by his parents, Charles Ray and Marjorie C. (Wendt) Greenawalt; his sister, Sherri E. Wingard; his brothers, Lonnie D. Greenawalt and Charles Jeffery Greenawalt. He is survived by his brother, John (wife, Linda) Greenawalt and sister, Carol (husband, Jason) Beal; nephews, Charles Eugene (wife, Kelly) Greenawalt, Charles Justin Greenawalt and Richard Andrew (wife, Tina) Greenawalt; and niece, Sarah Wingard, along with a host of extended family and friends.

A Memorial Service for Kevin has been scheduled for November 2, 2024 at 11:00 AM at York Rite Library and Museum of Texas, located at 722 Washington Avenue #724, Waco, TX 76701.  Anyone who knows Kevin is encouraged to come and share stories with family and friends.