A. Carl Quillin

Alfred Carl Quillin was born February 19, 1922 in Wynona, Oklahoma. He was the son of Henry Claude and Mary Eva (Adams) Quillin. He was raised and attended school in Wynona through the eleventh grade at which time he went to work with his father who ran the Wynona Water works system and assisted him in the oilfields of Osage County. He then accepted employment with the railroad repairing wooden bridges and leveling the tracks in the area. Carl later received his high school diploma through the GED program.

Carl was inducted into the service of his country into the United States Army on October 30, 1942 in Fort Sill, Oklahoma. He was then transported by a troop train to Camp Adair in Oregon for basic training; walking nearly 35 miles a day with a full field pack and rifle to prepare him for future action. He was then transferred to Fort Lewis, Washington for cold weather training and to Barstow, California for desert training. He was then assigned to San Luis Obispo in order to prepare for bridge construction and amphibious training. As a combat engineer, Carl would be assigned to go out and pick up land mines and build bridges. Upon completion of this training, Carl was shipped to Hawaii awaiting further orders. He was assigned to the 321st Engineer Battalion, 96th Division and then was transported via ship to the Philippines and participated in the Battle of Leyte Gulf. They cut down coconut trees and used them to construct bridges and using a dragline scooped limestone rock and used it to construct roads. After completing duty in Leyte, SGT Quillin was then transferred to Okinawa where he repaired roads under heavy fire from the Japanese. Additionally bridges were constructed to assist in the occupation. Carl then shipped out back to Okinawa and on to the Philippines in preparation for the invasion of Japan. As he developed an eye problem, SGT Quillin was placed in the hospital shortly before the war ended and was shipped back home and honorably discharged from military service on December 24, 1945 in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. For his faithful military service, Carl was awarded the following decorations and citations, Bronze Star Medal, Bronze Arrowhead Medal, Philippine Liberation Ribbon with 1 star and the Good Conduct Medal.

Prior to shipping out upon completion of his military training he was married to Violet Ann Thomas on May 19, 1943. Upon completion of his military service, Carl returned home to Wynona and his wife Violet where they raised their three children, Terry, Carol and Carl. After the war, Carl built houses for a while and then managed a Skelly service station in Pawhuska and a DX station in Hominy and returned to the oilfields where he continued to work for several years. In 1966, Violet and Carl purchased the café where Violet was working and opened it under the name of Violet and Carl's Cafe. The couple owned and operated the cafeˆ side by side for nearly ten years. After selling the cafe in 1976, Carl continued to work in the oilfields until his retirement in 1980. While residing in Wynona, Carl also served as the mayor for several years.

Carl was a member of the Masonic Lodge and the Elk's Club. He was a member of the Victory Baptist Church in Pershing. Included in his accomplishments of life, Carl was proud of his association with the Boy Scouts of America. He served as troop leader in the 1960's and 70's. He also enjoyed fishing and gardening. He especially enjoyed working with his wife, Violet and the wonderful staff at the café for those ten years and making friends with the many loyal customers that made the café a success.

Carl passed from this life at the Oklahoma Veterans Center in Claremore, Oklahoma on Tuesday, April 18, 2017 at the age of ninety-five. In addition to his wife Violet, Carl was preceded in death by his parents; son, Terry Quillin; brother, Kenneth Quillin; sisters, Marie Konefes and Lois Quillin.

He is survived by a son and his wife, Carl E. and Carolyn Quillin of Collinsville, Oklahoma; daughter and her husband, Carol Ann and Walter DeBoe of Pawhuska, Oklahoma; five grandchildren, Kimberly Jones, Jenny Davis, Jennifer Meeker-Kelso, Jason and Joshua Quillin; fifteen great-grandchildren and one great-great grandchild; brother, James Franklin Quillin of Bartlesville, Oklahoma; numerous nephews and nieces, other family and friends that mourn his passing.

Graveside services will be held at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, April 22, 2017 at the A. J. Powell Memorial Cemetery in Hominy with. Military honors will be presented at the cemetery from representatives of the United States Army Casualty Assistance Program. Burial will be at the A. J. Powell Memorial Cemetery under the direction of the Chapman-Black Funeral Home. Friends may share a memory with the family at the funeral home or online at www.chapman-black.com