Melvin Kilgore

Melvin “Mel/Papa/Papa Mel” Kilgore, 68, of Topeka passed away peacefully in his sleep on Monday, July 6, 2026. He was born on October 19, 1957 at Wichita, Kansas the son of Melvin A. and Donna J. Bushnell Kilgore. He was raised in Wichita and Florida. Growing up in Wichita, Melvin, his brothers and friends were always working on cars. He would consider himself a real Motorhead and absolutely loved his Jeep Comanche “Ole Blue”. While growing up he would go with his dad to the 81 Speedway in Park City, Kansas. His family also enjoyed camping at Cheney State Park west of Wichita and camping at Andover.

He moved to Topeka in 2004 after he met Mary Shisler in a Yahoo! Chatroom, it was love at first site/sight. They were married on August 21, 2009, in the yard at their home. He retired shortly after moving to Topeka due to major health concerns.

He enjoyed fishing, NASCAR races, going to dirt tracks to specifically watch his grandson Sturgis race at tracks around western Missouri and eastern Kansas. While doing so he quickly became a fan of other racers as well (Fuqua, Tanner Family, Wettengel, Stiffler, Ewing, Mullens and Schultz to name a few) . Melvin and Mary would combine two of their favorite activities, racing and camping going to race tracks from Bethany, Missouri to Caney and Wichita and everywhere in between. He will be remembered for always being right, never wrong, even though that wasn’t always the case. If you had a story to tell, he had one twice as big and always enjoyed sharing. He enjoyed Si-Fi movies and TV shows; Facebook; and his online Jeep Group.

He is survived by his wife Mary Kilgore of Topeka sisters, Rhonda Romesburg and Victoria Guillroy of Wichita, Kansas; daughter Donna Kilgore in Missouri; son, Tony Kilgore in Iowa; bonus-daughter, Rebecca Warner (Chuck Streeter) of Hoyt; bonus-son, Thomas Shisler of Topeka; grandchildren, Sarina Kilgore in Missouri, Hailey Kilgore in Iowa, and Sturgis (Katie) Streeter of Hoyt, Kansas; and several nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews. He is also survived by fur-kids; Champ, Cujo, Elsa, Rosie, Poppy, and Dandy.

Melvin is proceeded in death by immediate family: his parents Melvin and Donna, brothers Stephen, Richard, and son-in-law Brent Warner.

A memorial visitation will be held on Saturday evening, July 11th beginning at 6:00 pm at Parker-Price and Davidson Cremations and Funeral Services. The family requests that in Mel’s honor please wear your favorite racing or KC Chief’s Shirt/apparel. Memorial contributions may be made to the Helping Hands Humane Society or to the Topeka Community Cat Fix or Parker-Price & Davidson to assist the family. Please leave the family a message on this obituary site. www.ppdfuneral.com