Jacob Christian Kleven

STOUGHTON - Jacob Christian Kleven, age 45, of Stoughton, passed away on Friday, Dec. 23, 2022.  He was born on Oct. 8, 1977, in Madison, and graduated from Stoughton High School in 1996. He married his high school sweetheart and lifelong soulmate, Tonya Veek, on June 28, 2003.

Starting at 17 years old, Tonya and Jacob celebrated every birthday together. After their wedding, they celebrated with 12 days in the Dominican Republic. They loved traveling and adventuring together. They also loved dancing, canoeing on the Kickapoo River, and laughing about all they had been through together.

Jacob’s daughters, Lilyanna (17), Josie (12), and Amari (8) were his everything. If he wasn’t watching Lilyanna cheer, Josie play volleyball, or Amari dance and sing, he was working on fixing something around the house or preparing dinner for the family to enjoy together. As a family, Jacob, Tonya, and their girls enjoyed camping, gardening, canoeing, kayaking, and watching movies.  

Jacob chose Baptism and faith into his life as an adult and was a member of St. Ann Catholic Parish. The CEW Community was very important to him and deeply impacted his faith journey. His faith and his love for Christ grew by participating in these retreats with our church family. He and Tonya, together with their girls, spent six years serving as Comboni Lay Missionaries in Malawi where they ran two preschools.

For the last two years, Jacob worked as the Food Service Director for the Stoughton Area School District. Jacob’s love for food and cooking was well-known by his friends, family, and community.

He enjoyed riding and building motorcycles, shooting trap, and catching up with his friends. One friend described Jacob as someone who “accepts you and loves you right where you are,” and that’s what was so special about Jacob. The world was a better place with him in it. We will miss him every day and his presence and memory will never be forgotten.

Jacob is survived by his wife, Tonya; his three daughters, Lilyanna, Josephine and Amari; his mother, Gayle Kleven; pa, David (Jackie) Blaney; his twin brother, Jason (Rachel)Kleven; brothers, Erik (Michelle) Blaney, David Marty and David (Debra) Blaney II; sisters, Autumn (Jason) Koehler and Dawn (Rob) Malizia; nieces and nephews, Anna, Thomas, Kia (Stella), Shaylynn, Daytona, Paige, Megan, Connor, Sierra (Olivia and Owen), Kiana, Marlee and Sammi; his in-laws; Bob and Meg Veek, Brad Veek and Jeremy (Jordan) Veek; and his brother from another mother, Ryan Sharp. He is preceded in death by his grandparents, Helen and John Kleven; and Susan Blaney.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at ST. ANN CATHOLIC PARISH, 323 N. Van Buren St., Stoughton, at 12 noon on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2023. Family and friends who wish to view the services via LIVE STREAM may visit Jacob's obituary page at www.gundersonfh.com and click on the Live Webcast link at 12 noon. Visitation will be held at the church from 9 a.m. until the time of the Mass on Saturday.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the family by mailing a check to PO Box 141, Stoughton, WI 53589. Please make the check out to Kids4Kids and put “Kleven Family” in the memo. You can donate electronically by going to https://givebutter.com/MwY2n6 or to https://www.gofundme.com/f/the-kleven-family-stoughton-wi. Every dollar donated will go directly to the Kleven family.

Online condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com.

Gunderson Stoughton
Funeral & Cremation Care
1358 Highway 51 N. at Jackson St.
(608) 873-4590