Ed Gauntt, 92

SEDALIA - Ed Gauntt, PGA Pro, husband and father, went into the presence of the Lord on October 18, 2015 at the age of 92.

Ed succeeded his brother, Jimmie, in December, 1959, at Twin Hills Golf & Country Club in Oklahoma City.

Previously, Ed was the head golf pro for ten years at the Lansing Country Club in Michigan.

He was born in Ardmore, OK, and was first exposed to golf as a caddie at Dornick Hills Country Club. When he was in high school he won the Texas State Amateur Golf Tournament. His golf career started when he worked in the pro shop for his older brother, Jimmie, at Longview Country Club in Texas. He worked there four years and turned professional in 1946 after serving three years in the Army Air Corps during World War II where he attained the rank of corporal.

After serving one year as an assistant golf pro at Odessa (Texas) Country Club, he went to Canterbury Country Club in Cleveland, Ohio, where he was a teaching assistant to Henry Picard. Picard was his mentor and had won the Master’s Golf Tournament in the 1930’s.

During Ed’s golf professional career, he specialized in teaching the Picard principals. At Twin Hills he held successful group golf lessons for women and developed an excellent junior golf program.

Ed and his wife, Anne, moved to Sedalia in 1981 to begin his new position as head Golf Professional at the Sedalia Golf & Country Club. During this time he developed and taught adult and youth group golf lessons, started Twilight golf, and gave private golf lessons. Ed organized and managed numerous golf tournaments at the Sedalia Country Club. Years later, in his retirement, he continued to teach private golf lessons at Elm Hills as well as group lessons in the spring and summer months.

Ed was a member of the Professional Golf Association for 67 years and a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church.

He is survived by his loving son Ed Gauntt, daughter Mary Beth Gauntt-Walding; four nieces; and one nephew. He was preceded in death by his wife, Anne; two sisters; and three brothers.

Funeral service will be 11 am, Thursday, October 22, 2015, at Sacred Heart Church with Father Joe Miller officiating. Burial with full military honors will follow in Calvary Cemetery.

Visitation will be 4-6pm, Wednesday, October 21, 2015, at McLaughlin Funeral Chapel.

Memorial contributions are suggested to Far Reaching Ministries (FRM), whom Ed Gauntt’s son is the US & foreign operations officer. This is a worldwide Christian mission organization focusing in Sudan and East Africa.