Kenneth “Jay” Pugh, 71, of Cabool, passed away Friday, May 11, 2018, at home.
He was born Sept. 15, 1946, in Springfield, son of John W. and Kathleen Fulton Pugh.
He grew up in Mount Vernon and spent most summers with grandparents in Rogersville. After graduating from Mount Vernon High School in 1965, he entered the Navy Nuclear Submarine Service and traveled to the Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, Conn., where he learned about state-of-the-art electronics, nuclear power and nuclear propulsion as well as chemistry. He became an IC electrician, traveling aboard the nuclear submarine Henry L. Stimson.
After his honorable discharge from the Navy, he returned to Rockford, Ill., and then to Houston, Texas, where he met his wife, Linda. They were married Jan. 19, 1980.
He worked in many fields from machine tooling to the designing of high efficiency A/C systems and working in the oil patch designing very jacketed wire and cable for offshore oil rigs. Many of the jobs gave him the opportunity to travel all over the world, even dining with the king of Norway.
He invented the Smart Gun, a device to prevent unintentional shootings. He was granted a patent in 1991 and two years later, he won the National Inventors Expo in Washington, D.C.
Upon retirement, he and Linda bought property near Cabool.
Survivors include his wife, Linda of the home; a sister, Joanna Kay Rimmer of Houston, Texas; two daughters, Stephanie Kay Burkhardt of Portland, Texas, and Jeannene Jo Johnson of Lubbock, Texas; four grandchildren; and numerous other family members and friends.
Graveside services are Friday, May 18, in Pugh Cemetery with the Rev. Jay Frost officiating. Visitation is 10-11 am. at Elliott-Gentry-Carder Funeral, Cabool.
Online condolences may be made at www.egcfuneralhome.com.