Kem “Bigun” Gilmore, age 58, of Clinton, Missouri passed away on Wednesday, December 21, 2022 at St Luke’s Plaza Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri.
Kem “Bigun” Gilmore was born on March 2, 1964 in Clinton, Missouri to Russell Lee Gilmore Jr. and Anna Lou Gilmore. He graduated in 1983 from Clinton High School in Clinton, Missouri.
Kem, known as Bigun to all his friends, never met a person he couldn’t talk to. He thought the world of his dogs Buddy and Bear. All his friends were special to him. He loved to have fun, loved fast cars especially burning the tires off them, racing, and the Chiefs. Kem loved people coming to his house and sitting in the Man Cave or on the patio talking. It was a gathering place.
He enjoyed his work at Zenith Fireworks, Les’s Apco, Mid America Cross Tie, The Whistle Redi-Mix, and Schmidli Trucking and met many good friends along the way.
He always liked watching the deer cross behind his house and counting how many there were. Kem thought the world of his neighbors, especially Cindy and John and Nikita and Charlie. Loved his rummy card games with Debby and Ronnie VanWinkle and Chris Brown but you had to play by his rules. His yard was his pride and joy and loved it when his cars were clean. His humor was over the top and there was never a dull moment when you were with him. Going out on the boat with him could be an adventure.
He had a pretty even temperament until you cut down one of his trees. He is going to be missed so much by family and friends. I’m sure there are not too many people that can’t tell a story about him or about something they did with him.
Kem is preceded in death by his parents Russell and Anna Gilmore.
Survivors include his 3 siblings; Cathy (Fred) Aquino, Kay DeGraffenreid, and Kenny (Kim) Gilmore, his nieces and nephews; TJ DeMotte, Ashley (Cameron) Hart, Matt DeGraffenreid, Jake (Mady) Gilmore, Dharma (Clayton) Kreissler, along with many friends.
Funeral services were held Wednesday, December 28, 2022 at the Vansant-Mills Chapel, Clinton with Rev. David Mills officiating. Special music included “Dancing In the Sky, Only God Knows Why and Home Sweet Home.” The casket bearers were Chris Brown, Rick Clifton, Eddie Clifton, Branden Davis, Travis Hill, Ronnie VanWinkle, Doug Rodgers and Dennis Lesmeister. Interment followed in Englewood Cemetery, Clinton, MO.
Services were under the direction of Vansant-Mills Funeral Home of Clinton, MO.
