Dorothy Kenkel
August 17, 1938 — March 18, 2019
Dorothy Rose Kenkel, daughter of Louis and Ann (McCaffery) Henkelman, was born on August 17, 1938 near Defiance, Iowa. She was baptized and confirmed at St. Peter’s Catholic Church and attended St. Paul’s Catholic School in Defiance graduating with the class of 1956. Dorothy grew up working on her family’s honey bee farm outside of Defiance.
On November 18, 1957, Dorothy was united in marriage to Marcus “Max” Kenkel at St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Defiance, Iowa. They were the parents of five children: Larry, Kenny, Nancy, Lori and Janet. They made their home on a farm outside of Earling, Iowa and later moved into town. Dorothy was a homemaker taking care of her kids at home and also worked at Denny’s Café and Little Flower Haven both in Earling. She went on to start her own daycare business, Dorothy’s Daycare, which she ran for over seventeen years. Each and every child she cared for was treated as if they were one of her own grandchildren.
Dorothy enjoyed camping and fishing especially on her family trips to Okoboji, Iowa. Dorothy and Max spent winters in Texas and made many friends when they headed south. She enjoyed working in her vegetable garden and was a talented seamstress making many of her children’s clothes and several quilts for her children and grandchildren. She loved to sing and play the piano and she filled their home with music. Dorothy also took special care of her son Kenny when he underwent serious health issues throughout his life. She was a loving wife and extremely proud mother, grandmother and great grandmother attending as many school and summer activities as she could. Family and friends meant the world to Dorothy even when friendly card and dice games became pretty serious.
Dorothy retired in 2004 and her and Max continued to make their home in Earling. She died on Monday, March 18, 2019 at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska having attained the age of eighty years, seven months and one day. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her son Kenny and her siblings Frank, Harry and Ray Henkelman and Ardith Schaben and Mary Schmitz.
She is survived by her husband of sixty-one years, Max Kenkel of Earling, Iowa; children: Larry Kenkel and his wife Julie of Lowell, Michigan; Nancy and her husband Blue Beermann of Manilla, Iowa; Lori and her husband Russ Miller of Norfolk, Nebraska and Janet and her husband Rich Thomsen of Logan, Iowa; daughter-in-law Sandy Kenkel of Harlan, IA; 20 grandchildren; 27 great grandchildren; sisters Loretta and her husband Joe Kenkel of Earling and Agnes and her husband Jay Menze of St. Cloud, Minnesota; nieces and nephews; other relatives and many friends.
On November 18, 1957, Dorothy was united in marriage to Marcus “Max” Kenkel at St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Defiance, Iowa. They were the parents of five children: Larry, Kenny, Nancy, Lori and Janet. They made their home on a farm outside of Earling, Iowa and later moved into town. Dorothy was a homemaker taking care of her kids at home and also worked at Denny’s Café and Little Flower Haven both in Earling. She went on to start her own daycare business, Dorothy’s Daycare, which she ran for over seventeen years. Each and every child she cared for was treated as if they were one of her own grandchildren.
Dorothy enjoyed camping and fishing especially on her family trips to Okoboji, Iowa. Dorothy and Max spent winters in Texas and made many friends when they headed south. She enjoyed working in her vegetable garden and was a talented seamstress making many of her children’s clothes and several quilts for her children and grandchildren. She loved to sing and play the piano and she filled their home with music. Dorothy also took special care of her son Kenny when he underwent serious health issues throughout his life. She was a loving wife and extremely proud mother, grandmother and great grandmother attending as many school and summer activities as she could. Family and friends meant the world to Dorothy even when friendly card and dice games became pretty serious.
Dorothy retired in 2004 and her and Max continued to make their home in Earling. She died on Monday, March 18, 2019 at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska having attained the age of eighty years, seven months and one day. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her son Kenny and her siblings Frank, Harry and Ray Henkelman and Ardith Schaben and Mary Schmitz.
She is survived by her husband of sixty-one years, Max Kenkel of Earling, Iowa; children: Larry Kenkel and his wife Julie of Lowell, Michigan; Nancy and her husband Blue Beermann of Manilla, Iowa; Lori and her husband Russ Miller of Norfolk, Nebraska and Janet and her husband Rich Thomsen of Logan, Iowa; daughter-in-law Sandy Kenkel of Harlan, IA; 20 grandchildren; 27 great grandchildren; sisters Loretta and her husband Joe Kenkel of Earling and Agnes and her husband Jay Menze of St. Cloud, Minnesota; nieces and nephews; other relatives and many friends.
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