Kenneth Ray Calhoun

Kenneth Ray Calhoun was born on August 8,1955 in Dallas, Texas to LaRue (Porter) and Ray Calhoun.  He departed this life on January 27, 2022 at Hunt Regional Hospital in Greenville, Texas.  He grew up in Sulphur Springs, learning the value of hard work and a strong sense of family from an early age.  As he struck out on his own, “Bare'' put that same vigor into pursuing his passion for adventures, riding Harleys, consuming music in every form at damagingly loud volumes, and awing the masses with his hair.  With his brother,James, and best friend, Turk, by his side they enjoyed being generally bad influences on each other in all the best ways, and have the memories, scars, and hearing loss to prove it. 

In March of 1980 he married the love of his life, Charlotte Strickland in Cumby, Texas.  From buying a primitive two room cabin on the side of a remote mountain in Arkansas and turning it into a home with their own hands, to family camping vacations all over the western United States, to hiking and driving the Ozark Mountains,  to trading in an empty nest for a decade long adventure in the most remote parts of Alaska, they turned their love of adventure into a lifetime of memories, experiences and relationships that few could rival.  Through the years Kenny’s priority was always family.  From constant trips home, to hours of phone calls with his brother and dear sisters, to hosting Camp Calhoun every summer for his nieces and nephews (and then his grandkids and their friends),  all of the best memories are of him sharing his acres of Ozark mountain paradise where his legacy will always reside to be shared with many more generations.  There wasn’t a blues concert or music festival that he didn’t drag his kids to and he could always be found at the front of the crowd just to the center left of the stage, with a camera in hand.  He was an amazing man with strong values that left a lasting impression on everyone he met.  To his kids, he’s given his passion for music and adventure. 

To all of us:

Wipe that tear out of your eye

Behind the clouds the sun still shines

You’re in my prayers every night

Enjoy the journey that’s life

….and Pa loves you

There will be a celebration of life at Jones-Walker Funeral Home in Commerce, Texas on February 1st, with visitation at 1:00 PM and a service of music and memories shared at 2:00 PM.  His ashes will go home to his mountain and creek and his soul to Jesus and his mama.