BY SARAH GREGORY
STAFF WRITER
Kinser Park Manager Rex Oster, 52, died on Friday evening at Takoma Regional Hospital, according to his wife, Shari Oster.
Funeral arrangements have not been announced. Jeffers Funeral and Cremation Service is handling arrangements.
In an e-mail to The Greeneville Sun and seasonal campers, Shari Oster noted that there will be no changes to the Kinser Park camping schedule.
Rex Oster was appointed Kinser Park manager on May 20, 2011 after being chosen from a field of 36 applicants.
Prior to the position at Kinser Park, Oster had been manager of The Oaks Retreat Center at Free Will Baptist Family Ministries.
RECENTLY HOSPITALIZED
At the Tuesday, Jan. 29, meeting of the Kinser Park Commission, Chairman Lloyd "Hoot" Bowers announced to other commissioners that on Monday, Jan. 28, Oster had suffered what doctors believed to have been two heart attacks.
Oster was hospitalized at Holston Valley Medical Center, of Kingsport, at that time but had since been released.
Bowers noted that Oster had been at his home on the Kinser Park grounds.
Bowers said he last spoke with Oster last Wednesday or Thursday in a phone call to discuss operations at the park.
SPECIAL MEETING FRIDAY
Kinser Park Commissioners will hold a special called meeting to discuss what steps to take toward management of the park.
The meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. Friday at the Greene County Courthouse Annex, Bowers said this morning.
The only item of business will be discussion of finding a new park manager.
Bowers said he hopes that process can be completed in time for the start of the camping season in March/April.
