Gayla Kenser

The Life and Times of Gayla E. Kenser Gayla Eileen Kenser was born to John and Eula Osborn in Poplar Bluff, MO on March 3, 1954. She was the fourth of four children raised by John and Eula in this small Southern Missouri community. Gayla completed her school years there, graduating from Poplar Bluff High School in 1972. Gayla married David Kenser, also of Poplar Bluff, on December 7, 1973 and they moved to Wichita Falls, TX, in July 1974 where they became an Air Force family of two. Two month later, Gayla and David were moved to Wichita, KS where David Began serving in his permanent military party and Gayla working in retail to help provide for their needs. It was while in Wichita, KS that Gayla gave birth to William, her first child and there where she began doing retail work, which would define much of her career life for the next couple of decades. Having decided together with David to leave the military and enter the ministry where they would serve together for the next three decades – taking them to Missouri, Arkansas, Texas, California and back to Arkansas, along with shorter stays in the Virgin Islands and Honduras for missions. Shortly after leaving preaching school at Harding University and while serving the church along side of David in Scott City, KS, the young couple were blessed to adopt a little 18 day old girl they would name Kimberly. Later in 1985 when Kimberly was still a baby, Gayla and David moved to Claude, TX and began working with the church while continuing to raise their two small children. In 1987 Gayla and David and crew moved to Antioch, CA where they would spend the next 16 years. Gayla would supplement David’s income working as a retail manager, administrator to a Christian school principle, high-end costume jewelry sales person and nail tech. In order to be close enough to help her sister, Betty, who was stricken with ovarian cancer, Gayla told David, “I’ve followed you all over the country for 30 years, and now it’s time for you to follow me home – so he did – and she did provide tremendous support for her sister until she passed from this life in 2007 from her ovarian cancer. Gayla, who had been working as the office manager of the Hot Springs Beauty College, acquired her insurance license and she began to work with David in their fledgling agency in 2008. In less than a year, she was forced to quit due to the disability caused by the stage-four cancer she fought until she passed form this life this past Saturday morning at 3:05 am in the Hospice wing of St Joseph’s Hospital in Hot Springs. Gayla attended and was an active part of the Lakeshore Drive Christian Church here in Hot Springs. She was preceded in death by her father John Osborn, her step-father, Earsel Dunehoo and her sister Betty Sliger. She is survived by her husband, David Kenser of Hot Springs, her son and daughter-in-law, William and Andrea Kenser of Hot Springs, her daughter, Kimberly Kenser of Hot Springs, her mother Eula Dunehoo of Poplar Bluff, MO; her brother Melvin Osborn, also of Poplar Bluff, her brother Larry and his wife Bobby Osborn of Ofallon, MO; and by numerous nieces, nephews and friends. Memorial service will be held 2:00 P.M. Saturday, September 25th at First Assembly of God Church.

Gayla Kenser

September 18, 2010