Family still seeking answers about missing man
Nov. 17—For more than 59 years, the family of Howard F. Kley has waited for answers. What happened to their father? where did he go? Will he ever be found?
All they have known and they know today is Kley disappeared without a trace on January 26, 1966, while in Coos Bay. Since that day, there has been no reported sightings, no body, nothing but silence.
In 1966, Kley, then 53, was a senior manager with Shell Oil in California. Kley was traveling from California to Seattle with several co-workers when they stopped in Coos Bay on January 26, 1966. The stop was to be for one day before the group continued to move North toward Seattle.
The plan was to meet a man in Coos Bay to discuss a problem some boats were having with lubricants, the division Kley worked with at Shell Oil.
The man did not make the meeting, the Shell workers went to dinner at the Skyroom Bar in the Chandler Hotel.
Most reports say Kley was last seen at the bar talking to a group of women. He apparently told his co-workers to go ahead and he stayed behind.
A family member who talked to The World said they have seen some reports saying Kley was seen being dropped off at the Dunes Motel at 11:30 p.m., with some reports saying the lights in the hotel room he was in being on until 2 a.m.
On the morning of January 26, when the other Shell Oil workers gathered to continue their journey, Kley was nowhere to be found. His room was empty. So the other Shell employees left, assuming he would be able to make his own way to Seattle.
When they reached Seattle and Kley was not there, Shell Oil reported him missing.
The Coos Bay police immediately began a search and were joined by detectives from Pinkerton, who were hired by Shell Oil.
The detectives were able to trace Kley's movements up until 1 a.m., and then nothing.
Shell Oil offered a $5,000 reward, but no information was gathered that helped law enforcement find Kley.
Ten days after he disappeared, Kley's daughter had her premiere as an interior designer, but Kley did not show up. Less than a year later, he missed his daughter's wedding.
While the family understands Kley is not alive, they are still hoping to find out what happened to their loved one. The family has been to Coos Bay and has hung up posters in local retirement homes and senior centers, hoping to jog anyone's memory.
The family is looking for anyone who may have been at the Chandler Hotel, the Skyroom Bar or the Dunes Hotel on January 26, 1966. They are also looking for someone who might have been involved with the Coos Bay Pirates Club in the mid- to late '60s.
If anyone has information, the family can be reached via email at findinghowardkley@gmail.com
