KERLEY, Royd Steve

Royd Steve Kerley

Birth:  Sep. 14, 1946 Charlotte, Mecklenburg Co., NC

Death:  Apr. 17, 1967, Vietnam.

SP4 Royd Steve Kerley Jr, Vietnam Veteran native of Charlotte, NC was 20 years old and was married. It was reported that Royd died from multiple fragmentation wounds from a mine. His body was recovered.

 

 

Several friends remember him as follows:

“You were younger than I but we had great times on the school bus. You will always remain in my memory as a good friend and lots of laughs.”

“Steve and I were in the fourth grade when Steve entered Lula Elementary School, Lula, Georgia. Our teacher was Mrs. Maude Ivie, who died while we were in her classroom that year in 1956. I have fond memories of Steve as a very intelligent and good all around person. He had a hard working mother who raised four boys by herself. Every one of those boys grew up to be ones’ to make their mother proud.”

“I remember his beautiful dark skin and eyes. He was a very mild-mannered boy. Steve’s hardworking mother reared four very intelligent, devoted guys.”

“Steve Kerley was one of four sons of Doris Kerley.  I knew Steve from the time we were in the fourth grade. He and his brothers were exceedingly intelligent and witty. Steve was a good man. He is greatly missed.”

His cousin says “when were growing up Steve’s mother would bring Steve and his three brothers and come visit our grandparents who lived in North Carolina. There were about 7 years different between our ages I was born in 1939 and Steve was born in 1946, so we did not get to know each other as we would have liked to. Even at that age I could not believe the closeness that he and his brothers had.”

 

 

He served with Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 11th Armored Cavalry, “Black Horse”. He was awarded The Combat Infantryman’s Badge, The Bronze Star Medal, The Purple Heart Medal for his combat related wounds, The Vietnam Service Medal, The Republic of Vietnam Campaign Service Medal, The National Defense Service Medal and The Good Conduct Medal.

Burial: Sunset Memory GardensCharlotte, Mecklenburg Co., NC.

Plot: Kerley.

 

 

 

 

 

(Source: Posted with permission of Tom & Jim Reece, #46857744; finding NC Vietnam KIA/MIA’s gravesites; Reconfigured and submitted by: Ron Yates)