Herndon Grady Kilby

Herndon Grady Kilby of Queenstown, MD died Tuesday, March 9, 2004 at Memorial Hospital, Easton, MD. He was 87. Born December 1, 1916 in Culpepper, VA, he was the son of the late Herndon B. and Vera Smith Kilby. He grew up in Hyattsville, MD, was a graduate of Hyattsville High School, and became a distributor for the Times Herald Newspaper. In 1942, he enlisted with the U.S. Army and served as an Intelligence and Communications Officer with The Guard Company at The White House in Washington, D.C. In 1943 he married Margaret O''Brien, who predeceased him in 1976. Together they raised a family of eight (8) children. In 1949, Mr. Kilby and his long-time friend Albert Turner formed Modern Construction Company. Together they built 600 homes in Hollywood (College Park) Maryland and 100 homes in Lewis Heights in Adelphi, Maryland. Changing the name to Maryland Community Developers in 1963, they developed over 2,500 homes in New Carrollton. MCD Enterprises became the foremost builder in the area and continued to build over 13,000 houses in the communities of Calverton, Kettering, Enterprises Estates, Kingsford and numerous other projects in Prince George''s County, Olney Mill in Montgomery County; and Lake of the Pines in Anne Arundel County. As a special interest, Mr. Kilby was the moving force behind MCD''s creation of the prestigious golf course community of Prospect Plantation in Queen Anne County, which he designed and developed. In addition when MCD purchased the Bahia Mar Yachting Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Mr. Kilby was instrumental in the renovation and expansion, making it one of the premier yachting centers on the East Coast. After summering in Queenstown, Maryland for many years he moved here permanently in 1974. In 1976 he developed the 45 acre tip of Bennett Point, which later became Kilby Point, as a gathering place for his family. In 1978 he married Lenore Throckmorton who shared his avid interest in golf and gardening. He was a member of Prince George''s Country Club (now called the Country Club at Woodmore), The Mid Ocean Club in Hamilton, Bermuda, Talbot Country Club, lifetime member of the Kent Island Yacht Club and Prospect Bay Country Club where he sponsored a women''s golf tournament annually called the Kilby Classic. He was a craftsman, enjoyed woodworking, building boats, cabinetry and was an ingenious inventor. Most importantly, he was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather and friend to all. In addition to his wife Lenore, he is survived by six daughters, Peggy Beall and her husband, Bobby, Carol Darrell and her husband, George, Lynne George and her husband, Bob, Robin Harrison and her husband, Joe, Linda Schuster and her husband, Raymond and Shelley Thomas and her husband, Pete; six sons, Skip Kilby and his wife, Annette, Roy Kilby and his wife, Sue, Ed Kilby and his wife, Jessica, Gary Kilby and his wife, Joyce and Kevin Kilby; three sisters, Lynn Kilby Mears, June Pearce and her husband, Warren and Ruth McClosky; twenty eight grandchildren and eight great grandchildren. Friends and family may call at the Fellows, Helfenbein and Newnam Funeral Home, P. A. in Chester, MD on Friday, March 12, 2004 from 4PM to 8PM. There will be a service at 11:00 AM at St. Peter''s Church, Queenstown, Maryland, with burial to follow in St. Peter''s Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to Annapolis Area Christian School, 719 Bestgate Road, Annapolis, MD 21401 or Queen Anne''s Humane Society, 201 Clay Drive, Queenstown, MD 21658 or a charity of your choice.