A Mechanic, A Soldier, and A Son
By Olivia Larson
Kenneth Roe Oldfield
8/24/1925-11/19/1994
Kenneth Roe Oldfield Jr. was born to a 20-year-old mother, Eulah Saltsman, and a 23-year-old father, Kenneth Roe Oldfield.[1] Eulah was born in 1904 in Elyria, OH. Kenneth Sr was born in Lorain, OH, in 1902. Eulah and Kenneth Sr married on January 17, 1925. Shortly after, Kenneth was born on August 24, 1925, in the small city of Elyria, OH, located southwest of Cleveland. Kenneth lived in the very small city of Eaton, OH, located about 24 miles west of Dayton. He lived with his parents and maternal grandfather, Charles Salesman.
When Kenneth was seven years old, his brother James Lewis Oldfield was born on May 16, 1933. In eighth grade, Kenneth was attending Eaton High School in Grafton, OH. His family likely moved back to Elyria during Kenneth’s high school years, as by age 16, he was attending Elyria Public High School in Elyria, OH. He completed a total of three years of high school.
At age 18, Kenneth was residing in Tulsa, OK, with his parents and grandparents. He was employed by Aircraft Machine Company, working as a machinist. As described on his draft registration card, Keeneth was 5’6”, 135 lbs., with brown eyes and brown hair. Kenneth began his military service on March 13, 1946, in Fort Logan, CO, when he was 20 years old. Before beginning his service, he was living in Routt County, CO.
He served in the army during WWII as a technician fourth grade (TEC4) rank. This rank was for soldiers who had special technical skills but were not trained as combat leaders. There were numerous technical skills that could be involved in this position, including medics, radio operators and repairmen, mail clerks, mechanics, cooks, musicians, and tank drivers. Due to Kenneth’s previous job history, he likely worked with machinery. This rank was addressed as “sergeant” and received the corresponding pay grade. This rank was later replaced with specialist ranks following WWII. Kenneth served for about one year until 1947.
Following his military service, Kenneth lived in Steamboat Springs, CO, with his parents and brother. He worked as a car mechanic in the body fender repair shop industry. His father worked as a dozer driver in the landscaping industry, and his mother and brother were unemployed at the time. On July 4, 1953, Kenneth and his father departed from Chicopee, Massachusetts, USA, to Torbay, Newfoundland, Canada. They returned to Chicopee, Massachusetts, nearly a year later, in April 1954. Kenneth and his family later moved from Steamboat Springs to the Denver area. When Kenneth was 33, his father passed away in Denver, CO, at the age of 55. At age 37, Kenneth was living in Aurora, CO. When Kenneth was 63, his brother, James, died in Arvada, CO, at the age of 55. Only two years later, his mother, Eulah, died at 86 years old in Arvada, CO. Kenneth passed away on November 19, 1994, in Arvada, CO, when he was 69 years old. He was buried at Fort Logan Cemetery in Denver, CO.
Footnotes ↓
[1] Informtaion for this biography can be found at:
https://www.fold3.com/file/612788891/oldfield-kenneth-roe-us-wwii-draft-registration-cards-1940terms=oldfield,roe,kennethhttps://www.ancestrylibrary.com/search/collections/8939/records/8137767?tid=&pid=&queryId=7de1068f-f04a-4c8f-9d88-382194e0df75&_phsrc=uxX15&_phstart=successSource https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/search/collections/62308/records/18921469 https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/search/collections/60882/records/8069301https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/imageviewer/collections/8745/images/41260_322743-00011?albums=pg&isPersonGallery=true&showGalleryAlbums=true&tab=1&pId%5B%5D=10719883&pId%5B%5D=48474273720 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technician_fourth_grade#:~:text=Technician%20fourth%20grade%20.
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