The Killingsworths boasts of three generations of Freemasonry and were more than proud when their third family member, Tylor Killingsworth, made Worshipful Master this past month.

Andy Killingsworth was the first of his family to join the Checotah Masonic Lodge #86 in 1987.

In 1997, Andy became Worshipful Master and brought in an unprecedented 32 Master Masons to his organization that year while he also served as High Priest and Prophet at the Shriners’ Temple in Muskogee. Then in 2000 he became Illustrious Potentate.

Andy stated that he came into the Masonic fraternity to promote brotherhood and give back to his community and he has never taken that assignment lightly. For over 25 years as a Shriner, Andy drove sick children to their appropriate hospitals all over the United States. Some town folk even affectionately call him “The Onion Man” because each year he helps his chapter sell over 800 bags of Vidalia Onions. This yearly fundraiser helps the Shriners raise funds for their chapter which goes toward gas and hotels for the children and other expenses that might occur. One of the highlights of being a Mason and Shriner is also getting to be a part of all the parades Andy said.

However, when asked what has been his biggest accomplishment, Andy quickly replies, “Having my son and grandson follow in my footsteps to become Masons and watching them give back to their community. It is just the best feeling in the world.”

In 1994 Andy’s son, Jeff Killingworth, became a Mason and a Shriner during his first year of college. He was only nineteen. Then keeping with family tradition, Jeff’s son, Tylor Killingsworth, became a Mason in 2013 while he was still a senior in high school and had barely turned 18 years old. He then went on to become a Master Mason and joined the Shriners before he graduate from high school. In 2015, Tylor also became the Junior Warden for York Rite in Muskogee. Now he will serve as Worshipful Master for the Checotah Masonic Lodge for the next year.

Masons believe in caring for fellow Masons, their families and the community and to the Killingsworths this journey has definitely been a family affair. Not only has Andy’s son and grandson followed in his footsteps, his wife, Denise, has also been part of the Oklahoma Order of Eastern Stars since 2003 and her brother Dr. Eric D. Blackwood will be installed as Illustrious Potentate of Bedouin Shrine in Muskogee on Jan. 3.

About Masonry

The Masonic fraternity is the local organization that operates under a charter from the grand lodge and has two primary functions: 1. Provide an opportunity for members to experience fraternal and social bonding through its meetings, programs, and sponsored events.

2. Initiate new members according to timehonored ceremonies called degrees, ultimately passing down the fraternal heritage that unites all Freemasons in brotherhood.

There are three degrees of Masonry. These degrees are initiation ceremonies that represent progressive steps to membership in the organization. They are: Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft, and Master Mason. They are loosely based upon the journeymen system where the candidate must demonstrate his knowledge or proficiency of each degree before he can proceed to the next.

It is through these degrees that Masonry passes its teachings and principles from generation to generation. The degree ceremonies are intended to be sources of knowledge, inspiration, and pride for the candidate and the lodge members. Those ceremonies also serve as a shared experience that binds men to a closer brotherhood. A candidate receives the utmost respect during all three ceremonies.

Amazingly Freemasonry can be traced back to medieval guilds of stonemasons and is considered the oldest existing secular fraternal organization with documents dating back to the 14th century.

Modern Freemasonry broadly consists of three main traditions: Anglo-American style Freemasonry, Continental Freemasonry and Women Freemasonry (such as the Order of Women Freemasons).

Masons believe in a Supreme Being, the “Grand Architect of the Universe” and encourage personal moral development, charity, and belief in a higher power, allowing members to hold diverse faiths as long as they believe in a deity. Core tenets include truth, integrity, self-improvement, and helping those in distress, using symbols and rituals from stonemasonry to teach virtues like duty, honor, and a well-lived life.