Barbourville, Ky. – Victor Allen Bingham, Jr., 89, of Gray, passed away March 28, 2022. Victor was the son of Victor Allen Bingham, Sr. and Eva Bargo Bingham born to them on November 18, 1932, in Knox County, Kentucky. Victor joined the United States Air Force January 21, 1952, at the young age of 19, serving in the Korean War. Four years later he married the love of his life, Shirley Ann Couch, on December 29, 1956, and to this union 4 cherished children were born: daughters, Bonita, Bernadette, and Victoria Ann, and son Victor. Victor continued his Air Force service as a member of the Air Force Reserve during the Vietnam War.
Victor was a man of great character. He was intelligent and hard working. Victor was always meticulously dressed and prepared for anything. He valued education, earning a degree in Business Administration after attending Union College and Sinclair College. He went on to become a successful entrepreneur earning real estate and brokerage licenses. Victor worked as an inspector for National Cash Register, NCR, in Dayton, Ohio and as a Real Estate Broker in Dayton and Kettering, Ohio. In 1974, Victor relocated his family to Kentucky after purchasing his first convenient store. Victor and Shirley eventually owned and operated three convenient stores: Bingham’s Gas Island, Bingham’s Stop and Go, and A & B Gas Island.
Victor was deeply devoted to God, family, and country. He was always smiling and never met a stranger. He was a talented conversationist who was able to talk about anything to anyone at any time. He was a great mentor to his children, leading by example in every situation. When needed, he also corrected his children sharing his wisdom and teaching them the what, when, and why, of their misgivings in a nurturing way. What he imparted to his children became forever embodied in them. Victor maintained a supportive relationship with his children throughout his life. They knew they could count on him for advice and guidance to do the right thing always. Victor was admired, respected, and loved beyond measure by his children. His children felt safe in his care, describing him as the calm in a storm. A man with a strong sense of what was to come. A man who could be trusted. A man with unquestionable integrity.
In his spare time, Victor could often be found in attendance at local sporting events or watching sports at home on television. As well, he liked to stay on top of local, national and world news and was known for his extraordinarily detailed recall of dates, places, events, and names. Victor, along with his wife Shirley, was a Boy Scout Commissioner in both Ohio and Kentucky. Victor was also a Kentucky Colonel.
In addition to his parents, Victor Allen Bingham, Sr. and Eva Bargo Bingham, Victor was preceded in death by son Victor Allen Bingham, III, sister Victoria Aims, and brothers, Chester Bingham, James Matt Bingham, Lindburg Bingham, Herman Bingham, Willard Bingham, and Buford Bingham.
Left behind to mourn his passing is Victor’s beloved wife of 65 years Shirley Ann Couch Bingham, daughters Bonita Bingham Williams (Gary), Bernadette Bingham (Gary), and Victoria Ann Bingham, sisters Vivian Helton and Mildred Smith, and brother Gerald Travis Bingham. Four grandchildren Brooke Rhome, Gary Wayne Williams II, Katherine Bingham, and Brandi Baird and three great-grandchildren, Carys Brewer, Scarlett Williams, and Landon Carpenito, also survive Victor, as do many beloved nephews and nieces.
The Bingham Family will receive friends at Hopper Funeral Home on Saturday, April 2, 2022, from 5:00 PM until 8:00 PM and on Sunday, April 3, 2022, from 12:30 PM until the funeral hour of 2:00 PM. Reverend Darrel Bargo will officiate. Interment will follow the funeral service in the Binghamtown Cemetery at Dewitt, Kentucky. Casket Bearers are Gary Bingham, Mark Ketteler, Terry Gray, Nick Rohme, Jonathan Brown, Jimmy Wayne Grubb, Cameron Carpenito, Chris Brown, and Andy Brown. Honorary Casket Bearers are Gerald Bingham and Gary Wayne Williams II.
The Hopper Family, Victoria Hopper and Sally Hopper, our Directors, Mrs. Bonita Bingham Creech and Mr. Robin Reese, and our staff express sincere condolences to the family and friends of Victor Allen Bingham, Jr.
Hopper Funeral Home, Inc., established over 100 years ago, is in charge of servicing all arrangements for Victor Allen Bingham, Jr.
