Family confirms recovered body in Barnsdall belonged to Wayne Hogue
Family confirmed Tuesday the body recovered this week in Barnsdall after a deadly EF4 tornado was Kenneth Wayne Hogue, 81.
Five days after a tornado shredded the small town of Barnsdall, about 145 miles northeast of Oklahoma City, authorities found a body where they had been conducting search and rescue efforts to find Hogue.
The devastating tornado tore through the small city of Barnsdall in Osage County on May 6 before leaving destruction in Bartlesville to the northeast.
At that time, one death was reported and Hogue was reported missing.
It's the second time the rural community of 1,400 was affected by a tornado this year, after another tornado damaged homes on April 1.
On May 6 before the tornado struck Hogue's home, he was on the phone speaking to his son, Richard Hogue, his family told The Oklahoman.
"[Wayne] stayed on the phone with my husband for seven minutes or so just talking to him and reassured him that if God was ready for him, he was ready to go home and he was not leaving his house," Tamara Hogue said. "He was gonna stay in his bedroom and listen to his gospel music."
Tamara told The Oklahoman Tuesday that the family is grateful they had the opportunity to share the word of God through Hogue's story of faith.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Wayne Hogue's body identified after deadly Barnsdall tornado
