Richard Emmett Kimes (1927 - 1959)

Born 6 May 1927 in Fresno, Fresno, California, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Kathlyn Mary (Hofer) Furnish — married 10 Jul 1948 in Richmond, Contra Costa, California, United States

Died 6 Nov 1959 at age 32 in Martinez, Contra Costa, California, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Susan Burgess [send private message]

Biography

Richard Emmett Kimes was born in Fresno, Fresno County, California the 6th of May, 1927, the oldest of three children. His father, Emmett DeWitt Kimes, was working as a fireman for the Santa Fe Railroad. His mother, Etheland Mignon Peterson, had been teaching but quit once she became pregnant. Richard's sister, Doris Louise Kimes was born July 30, 1930 in Fresno.

After Richard graduated from U.C. Berkley he began working at Beckman Instruments as an electrical engineer. He married Kathlyn Mary Hofer the 10th of July, 1948 in Richmond, Contra Costa, California in the Presbyterian Church that Richard had attended with his family and they then had four children.

Kath says of her husband,

"We had a very relaxed relationship. He liked the very things Grandma didn't like: bare legs, simple hairstyle, not dressy things. He was eloquent with me and expressed his deepest feelings. He shared openly and was sensitive and caring. He was sensitive to my feelings and never crowded me in any way. People liked and remembered him. He was a gentle hearted person who was gentle with people and animals. He was never crude or explosive. He did throw a hammer in Grandma Kimes' yard when doing some work for her. She almost flipped out. I just laughed - it was funny. He relaxed then. He was always tense around her.

He resented the time spent sleeping. He felt it was wasted. He enjoyed doing such a variety of things: family, math, music, art, reading. He read or did math every night regardless of how late we turned in.

He was interested in our home, indoors and out. We always made joint decisions in colors and materials etc. We always shopped together as a family; Daddy wanted everyone together. He loved children. We took you kids everywhere with us: out to dinner, shopping, house warmings, etc. (People probably cursed us since we were the only couple who brought all their kids. You four, dressed in your sleepers, would go in, say hello to the gang, and then all of you would lay down and go to sleep.)"

Richard began experiencing a variety of strange symptoms the summer of 1957. At first they were subtle in nature such as not thinking as clearly or as well as he had in the past. He went to many specialists trying to determine what was wrong. They found nothing and suggested he see a psychiatrist. He got a gastric ulcer from worrying. In the summer of 1958 his symptoms worsened. He began experiencing sensory and motor changes. He had projectile vomiting and terrible headaches. He went back to his family physician, Dr. Switzer, who sent him to Dr. Norcross, a neurologist. He decided a pneumoencephalogram was needed after testing him and finding marked weakness in his left hand. He said if they found a tumor they would go in and remove it immediately since he would already be under the anesthesia. Richard had the test and subsequent craniotomy the 30th of January, 1959 at Merritt Hospital in Oakland, Alameda County, California. A large benign tumor was removed in its entirety.

He ended up having every one of the complications the doctor had listed as possibilities. He hemorrhaged; the transfused blood wouldn't coagulate and he had such large blood vessels they had to tie off one of the main vessels with a second surgery. Richard's fever spiked to 106° and 107°. They packed him in ice and brought it down. Two days later he got acute pulmonary edema and his fever spiked again.

After nine months in a coma, Richard died the 6th of November, 1959 in the Contra Costa County, Hospital in Martinez, California.

By the time he died he weighed only 92 pounds. He was buried in Section S, #1462 at Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno, San Mateo County, California.

Sources

• "California Birth Index, 1905-1995," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VGHD-P75 : 27 November 2014), Richard Emmett Kimes, 06 May 1927; citing Fresno, California, United States, Department of Health Services, Vital Statistics Department, Sacramento.
• "United States Census, 1930", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XCFM-FCH : Wed Oct 04 14:48:37 UTC 2023), Entry for Emmet D Kimes and Mignon Kimes, 1930.
• "United States Census, 1940", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K9QZ-V38 : Sat Oct 07 00:29:23 UTC 2023), Entry for Emmitt D Kimer and Mignon Kimer, 1940.
• "California, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1940-1945", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QGFM-TPLM : Tue Oct 24 19:22:47 UTC 2023), Entry for Richard Emmett Kimes and Emmett Kimes, 06 Mar 1947.
• Marriage Certificate of Richard Emmett Kimes & Kathlyn Mary Hofer dated July 10, 1948 in Richmond, Contra Costa, California in the possession of Susan Kimes Burgess.
• "United States 1950 Census", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6XG9-KJDP : Fri Oct 06 00:05:08 UTC 2023), Entry for Richard Kimes and Kathlyn Kimes, 1 April 1950.
• Undated taped and transcribed interviews with Kathlyn Kimes Furnish in the possession of Susan Kimes Burgess.
• 1959 Kathlyn’s Writings During Richard's Coma & Death including her journal and first drafts of letters in the possession of Susan Kimes Burgess. See transcription in the memories section of his profile on familysearch; https://www.familysearch.org/photos/artifacts/100842716?p=26681901&returnLabel=Richard%20Emmett%20Kimes%20(K457-GS9)&returnUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.familysearch.org%2Ftree%2Fperson%2Fmemories%2FK457-GS9.
• "California Death Index, 1940-1997," , FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VPJ9-NJZ : 26 November 2014), Richard Emmett Kimes, 06 Nov 1959; Department of Public Health Services, Sacramento.
• "United States Social Security Death Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JG3J-ZZX : 1
• Richard E. Kimes Personal Data Sheet, typed by him shortly after July 1950, in the possession of Susan Kimes Burgess and in the memories section of his profile on familysearch; https://www.familysearch.org/photos/artifacts/117585556?p=26681901&returnLabel=Richard%20Emmett%20Kimes%20(K457-GS9)&returnUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.familysearch.org%2Ftree%2Fperson%2Fmemories%2FK457-GS9.
• "Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVVS-PPHR : 13 June 2023), Richard Emmett Kimes, ; Burial, San Bruno, San Mateo, California, United States of America, Golden Gate National Cemetery; citing record ID 3596546, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.