Kingan, John R.

Description

John R. Kingan was born in New York City on Dec. 10, 1925, the son of the late John and Agatha Peterson Kingan. He had two sisters and a brother and in Rye his family lived at 10 Walker Ave.
John was raised in Rye and Harrison, N.Y. and was a 1944 graduate of Harrison High School.

John enlisted February 23, 1944 and served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He served in Europe with the 1255 Combat Engineers.

Also known as “Combat Engineer Battalions”, they were typically divided into four companies: A, B, C, and Headquarters and Service (H&S).

Best known for pontoon bridge construction and clearing hazards in amphibious landings, their duties also included serving as sappers deploying and deactivating explosive charges and unexploded munitions, mapmaking, camouflage, and a wide variety of construction services supporting frontline troops. With a secondary mission of fighting as infantry when required, they were armed with .30 cal. and .50 cal. machine guns, bazookas and grenade launchers.

Combat engineers played important roles in numerous World War II battles, especially breaching the heavily fortified Siegfried Line protecting the German border and numerous defensive lines established by the Wehrmacht in Italy, including the Gustav Line. Among the most familiar for their heroism and contributions to establishing key bridgeheads in Europe was at the Ludendorff Bridge at the Battle of Remagen.

After the war, John received his BS in Agriculture from Kansas State University and his MS in Poultry Nutrition from the University of Nebraska. He was employed by Armour & Co., The University of Nebraska, Mountaire Feeds Co., and was also self-employed from which he retired.

John R. Kingan, 88, of Conway Arkansas, passed away on Sunday, Dec. 29, 2013. He was also preceded in death by a brother, Richard Kingan; and a sister, Alice Smith.

At the time of his death, he was survived by his wife of 55 years, Barbara Schroeder Kingan; a sister, Barbara Boyd of Connecticut; a sister-in-law, June Kingan of Virginia; a son, Robert J Kingan and his wife, Sandra of New Jersey; a daughter, Kristi Puckett and her husband, Mike of North Little Rock; and six grandchildren, Taylor Puckett, Carlee Puckett, Abby Grace Puckett, Rohan Kingan, Arun Kingan, and Ravi Kingan.

A memorial service was held at Griffin Leggett in Conway.