McCoy Kerley

McCoy Kerley went to meet his Lord and Savior on Sunday, February 25, 2024.

McCoy was born on August 6, 1936, in Harriman, Tennessee to W.W. and Mary Ann Kerley. McCoy and his family moved to Hobbs, NM in 1941 where they built their life in Phillips Camp. He married Shirley Ann Maness in 1957 and they were blessed to have 66 years together.

McCoy graduated from Hobbs High School in 1956. He served for a period in the U.S. Army and also the National Guard. He began his career at Phillips 66 in 1956 as a laborer. In 1957 he was reclassified as a roustabout at the Hobbs Plant and in 1963 to a stillman helper and oiler at the Eunice Plant. In 1968 he became a utility relief worker at the Hobbs Plant and from 1968-1977 he worked as a gang pusher in Hobbs. He served as an engineering technician from 1977 to 1979 in Odessa in process and gas gathering. He finished his career in the Exploration and Production Department and retired from Phillips in 1996 after 40 years of service. After his retirement, he worked as a janitor and yard man at the Chapel of Hope Funeral Home in Hobbs.

He loved woodworking and had every woodworking tool known to mankind. He also dabbled in beekeeping for many years. He loved the outdoors and loved to sit and fish. In his later life, he took up the game of golf and loved to play with his son and friends.

McCoy was a little league coach, a softball coach, and a yeller of the referees. He was always a champion for his children and taught them to work hard and play hard and strive to always do their very best in everything they did.

He was a faithful member of the Taylor Street Church of Christ where he served as a Deacon, a Sunday school teacher and wore many other hats as he served the church.

McCoy is preceded in death by his parents and his brother W.W. (Bud) Kerley Jr.

McCoy is survived by his wife Shirley, and leaves behind a legacy of love through his children, Coye Kerley of Odessa, TX, Brad Kerley and his wife Barbara of Gilbert, AZ, and Mistee Clepper of Fort Worth, TX. His memory will also be carried on through his two grandchildren, granddaughter, Mackenzee Clepper of Lubbock, TX, and his grandson, Zackary Clepper of Fort Worth, TX.

McCoy will always be remembered as a loving husband, father, grandfather, and friend to all who were blessed to know him.