Nov. 29, 2005, 11:41PM

1898 KENNETH MYERS 2005

Texas' oldest WWI vet dies

Ex-Navy sailor was one of fewer than 50 survivors of the conflict

By JENNIFER RADCLIFFE
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle

Kenneth Myers, the oldest World War I veteran in Texas, died Monday after a battle with pneumonia. He was 107.

Myers, who was honored three weeks ago at a Veterans Day party at his Houston nursing care facility, served in the U.S. Navy from 1917 to 1919.

"It's a great loss to this nation," said Vincent Morrison, an officer with the Harris County Veterans Service Office. "That's a lot of history."

Morrison said he will request a full military honor guard and 21-gun salute for Myers' services, which haven't yet been announced. He was one of fewer than 50 surviving World War I veterans, according to statistics compiled by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

"He's a really great guy, and we're going to miss him," said grandson Rick Mifflin, 46, of Houston.

Myers was born in South Dakota on April 18, 1898.

During his time in the Navy, Myers served on the USS Oklahoma, one of the ships that helped escort President Woodrow Wilson home from signing the Treaty of Versailles in France in 1919. The ship was later destroyed in Pearl Harbor.

The son of a state senator, Myers earned a master's degree in economics from Iowa State University.

He worked as an agricultural analyst and economist for the federal government.

Myers moved to Houston about four years ago to be closer to his only child, 72-year-old Carol Mifflin.

Just two months ago, he moved to The Concierge nursing home, which threw the Veterans Day party in his honor.

"He touched all our lives. He was humble and kind," said Jeri Chapman, the facility's activity director. "He was an angel to us."

His wife of 41 years, Clara, died in 1974. He is survived by a 100-year-old sister, Dorothy Sherk, who lives in Phoenix, as well as his daughter, four grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.