John Kenneth Kearney

KEARNEY, JOHN KENNETH “KEN” LODI-John Kenneth “Ken” Kearney, age 82, passed away at his home on Sunday, September 22, 2013. He was born on January 25, 1931, the son of Frank and Pinkey Belle (Metcalf) Kearney. On April 21, 1951 he was united in marriage to Rosemary Anne (Ryan) Kearney. They were married for more than 59 years until her death on December 7, 2010. He is survived by his five children, John (Patsy), Bruce (Heike), Randy (Vicki), Julie (Dale) Engeseth and Kyle (Wendy); 15 grandchildren; 9 great-grandchildren; sisters, Pat (Dan) Teague and Beverly Christofferson (Larry); brothers, Ferrell (Barbara), Bob (Janet) and Phillip (Victor); and many other relatives and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife; a sister, Francis; brothers, Richard and Wallace; and two great-grandchildren. Ken was a Veteran of the United States Army and served as a paratrooper in the Korean War. He was very proud to have served his Country and was recently selected for the Badger Honor Flight, a program that sends U.S. War Veterans to our Nation’s Capital for a VIP Tour of the Memorials erected in their honor. Ken and his son John were scheduled to join other Korean War Veterans on the Badger Honor Flight in October, 2013. For most of his working life, he operated Ken Kearney Builder, where many of his long-time customers became his life-long friends. He continued to receive calls for construction work well into his retirement years and loved to build, maintain and fix things for family and friends whenever there was a need. He was a sports fan all his life, especially devoted to his beloved Green Bay Packers. But as much as he loved the Packers his favorite team was always the one his grandchildren were playing for. Ken loved to hunt and fish, especially with his sons and grandsons. He enjoyed gardening and was always eager to share vegetables with family, friends and neighbors. He loved taking care of his lawn, feeding the birds and sitting on his deck and he enjoyed all these activities even more when his grand-children were with him. Funeral Services will be held at HAMRE GUNDERSON FUNERAL HOME, 157 South Main St., Lodi, at 12:00 PM, on Friday, September 27, 2013. Visitation will be held from 10:00 AM until the time of the service at the Funeral Home. Interment will be at St. Patrick’s Cemetery. Online condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com “Dad, the past three years since mom died were very hard for you but we are so grateful for the time we have all been able to spend with you. You and mom are together again and we will all see both of you again someday.” Hamre Gunderson Funeral & Cremation Care 157 S. Main Street, Lodi 608-592-3201