Celebration of Life for Lyndel Keith Biby, 92, of Enid will be Wednesday, March 16, 2016 at 10:00 am at the Bethel Hawley Baptist Church with Rev Gary Lillie officiating. Visitation with family will be Tuesday from 4-6 pm at the funeral home. Interment will be in the Hawley Cemetery under the direction of Ladusau-Evans Funeral Home. Lyndel passed away, March 12, 2016.
Lyndel Keith Biby was born two miles north of Hawley, Oklahoma on January 29, 1924 to Frank Clinton and Opal (Best) Biby. They moved to a farm one-half mile east of Hawley the next year, which is where he grew up.
He joined the Hawley Baptist Church in 1935 and attended there until he graduated from high school. He attended Gore Consolidated School for 11 years and graduated in 1941. He entered Phillips University in Enid that fall.
Lyndel worked for Swallow Airplane Company in Wichita before heading to San Diego, California to work for Consolidated Aircraft.
He entered the United States Navy in August, 1943 and after completing several electrical schools, was assigned to the USS Foote, a destroyer, in 1944. His ship sailed to the Pacific below the equator and helped retake the Philippine Islands before continuing to Okinawa. The Foote served for 13 months as an escort, radar picket duty, and shore bombardments. Avoiding multiple Kamikaze attacks, the ship survived without a direct hit.
With the war over, the fleet returned to Hawaii, then passed through the Panama Canal and on to New York City, arriving in November, 1945. The USS Foote stood inspection by President Harry Truman before departing for Charleston, South Carolina for decommissioning. He was Acting Chief over the electrical division at that time and was discharged in May, 19646.
Later that year, he purchased a farm two miles east of Hawley. He married Marjorie Geier in June 1947 and made their home on that farm. They had three sons. Dennis was born in May, 1949; Dale was born in September, 1950; and Dan was born in November, 1960.
On the farm, he raised cattle, hogs, premier alfalfa seed, and sold truckloads of Bermuda Grass. Lyndel always enjoyed working. He made many pieces of farm machinery and was a gunsmith in Enid for several years.
Along with farming, he ran an electrical contracting business for several years and wired many of the homes in the area. In 1953, he had the first sprinkler irrigation well drilled in Grant County. He built two drilling rigs and drilled water wells for about 10 years. In 1973, he opened Biby Gun Shop on the farm.
He was a charter member of the Grant County Sheriff’s Reserves, which was started in January, 1973. He was a member of the Reserves for both Grant and Garfield Counties until 2003. During those 30 years, he served under eight sheriffs and, in some cases, as a full-time deputy.
He and Marjorie retired from farming in 1978 and moved to Enid where he went to work at Vance Air Force Base. He started as a mechanic, for which he was licensed, and later as a Fire Alarm Technician at Vance’s Fire Department. He retired from Vance in 1986. He joined the Men’s Garden Club in 1986 and served as Club President for two years. He also belonged to the American Legion.
He and Marjorie traveled in motor homes for about 20 years, covering the entire United States and most of Canada. They also traveled to many foreign countries and took several cruises in the Caribbean. They had a home in Harbor, Oregon for six years and spent the summers fishing and enjoying the cool climate.
He is survived by his wife, Marjorie; three sons, Dennis of Annapolis, Dale and Carolyn of Sand Springs, and Dan of Oklahoma City; five grandchildren; seven great grandchildren; many other family members and friends.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Hawley Cemetery, Bethel Hawley Baptist Church or Hawley Volunteer Fire Department. Condolences may be made online at www.ladusauevans.com.
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