Wilber Kuenning

Wilber L Kuenning of Imperial, NE passed away on October 9, 2020 from Coronavirus. He was born February 18, 1922 in Unadilla, NE to Oscar & Myrtle Kuenning. The fifth of 12 children, he was raised by a single mother. He started working for wages at the age of 10, always giving a portion of his earnings to his mother. He married Doris E. Schroeder of Grant, NE, on November 22, 1944. He would often tell that he moved to Southwest Nebraska with $35 in his pocket. Wilber & Doris started married life renting a farm from Frank & Bertha Osler at Elsie, Nebraska.

In 1953, Wilber & Doris purchased a farm 12 miles north of Imperial, still referred to as the “home place”. He & Doris worked hard to manage diversified crops, a feed-lot, & a cow-calf herd. Wilber was proud to be a rancher and a farmer and was proud of what the Sandhills could produce. He thought being a farmer & rancher was the best job in the world! He loved the wide-open spaces and educated himself by being a careful observer of nature. He retired from farming in 1987 when he & Doris moved to a house on Douglas St in Imperial but continued driving out to the farm every day, spending many hours doing what he loved & often getting himself in trouble with his wife who wanted him to spend more time with her at their home in Imperial! He always knew what was going on at the farm & what everyone was doing. Even when he was in the COVID unit in the Grant hospital, he had a conversation with son Jerry to find out what was going on at the farm. Wilber and Doris moved to an assisted living apartment in the Imperial Parkview Heights in 2006, when Doris needed Alzheimer’s care. Before the COVID quarantine, it was sometimes difficult to find a time to talk with him; if he was in the middle of playing a game of cards, bingo, Yahtzee or another activity, he would seldom answer his phone. He continued to reside in the same assisted living apartment until he tested positive for the Coronavirus in early October and was transported to the Perkins County Community Hospital. He greatly appreciated the care he received from his caregivers at Imperial Heights.

Wilber helped build the new United Methodist Churches in both Grant & Imperial. He could donate either money or labor, and because of lean times, he chose to donate his labor. Religion was important in his life, he recently received a 60year membership pin and this year was recognized as the oldest member of the First United Methodist Church in Imperial. Wilber held several offices of the Lone Star, District #24 school board, including board president the year the school closed & consolidated with Imperial Schools. He served on the boards of the Chase County Soil Conservation Service, testifying to the Nebraska State Legislature the importance of keeping the Upper & Lower Republican Rivers as separate water districts. He was also on the boards of the United Methodist Church, Federal Land Bank & the Rural Fire Dept. Always a promoter of 4-H & FFA, he received the Chase County Friends of 4-H Award and was awarded Honorary Memberships by both the Imperial & Nebraska FFA Chapters. He entered the Nebraska Corn Husking Competition several years & the last year would have been a champion but he entered himself in the wrong age category!

Wilber loved the Chase County Fair, he spent hours attending various events and visiting with acquaintances, young and old. Over the years, he enjoyed watching his children, grandchildren & especially his great grandchildren show livestock. He proudly participated in the Chase County Fair parades 3 different years, driving a restored International Regulator, riding his 3-wheel tricycle, & driving his first new tractor, a restored 1945 Model M, accompanied by his grandchildren &/or great grandchildren. Dancing was another favorite activity of Wilber’s; continuing the family tradition, when the last granddaughter, Kelly, was married in July he was surrounded by the bride, daughters, daughter-in-law, granddaughters & great granddaughters, bringing tears to the eyes of many. He was a member of a neighborhood card club for over 60 years.

Family, immediate and extended, were very important to Wilber. He enjoyed his grandchildren & great grandchildren & was quick to tell them how proud he was of them.
One of his greatest strengths was his positive attitude. During the lean years, due to drought, hail, or crop disease he would say, “we’ll find a way to make it work”. Perhaps because of his 8th grade education, another often quoted saying was, “get an education, it’s something they can never take away from you. Those who knew Wilber would describe him as honest, hard-working, humble, and kind; he saw the positive in everyone and in most situations.

Wilber was proceeded in death by: parents, Myrtle Kuenning & Oscar Kuenning, parents-in-law, Ernest & Zilla Schroeder; wife Doris; brothers & sisters-in-law: Warren (Dorothy), Melvin, David (Hilda), Harold/Joe (Delores), Maynard/Pete (Lois) & Roberta (Lloyd) Stretch; sisters & brothers-in-law: Alvina (Holbert) Vacca, Erma (Otto) Seimers, Mildred (Harvey) Dettmer, Shirley, Glenn Wallen, Don Noerrlinger, Gerald Schroeder; and daughter-in-law, Joyce Kuenning.
He is survived by sisters: Arvilla Noerrlinger, Lincoln; Beatrice/Betty Wallen, Independence, MO; sisters-in-law, Irene (Melvin) Kuenning, Syracuse; & Pat (Gerald) Schroeder, Grant, NE.
Children: Ernest, Imperial, NE; Donna (Don) Hutchens, Lincoln, NE; Jerry, Lemoyne, NE; Connie, Lincoln NE; & daughter-in-law, Kathy Kuenning, Imperial, NE. Grandchildren: CJ Kuenning, Grant, NE; Britt (Erin) Kuenning, Paxton, NE; Amber (Jared) Moscrip, Lincoln, NE; Lance Kuenning (Deb), Imperial, NE; Misti (Chad) Hogan, Auburn, IL; Kurt (Melanie) Kuenning, Olathe, KS; Dr. Kate (Matt) Boos, Sioux Falls, SD; Jerad (Megan) Hutchens, Platte, SD; Brandon (Kelly) Kuenning, Grant, NE; Kory (Nick) Fowler, Imperial, NE; & Kelly (Patrick) Kirkland, Lincoln, NE & twenty-six great grandchildren: Taylor, Brynn, Brooks, Mason, Alexa, Drew, Cameron, Carter, Bennett, Cord, Madilyn, Cole, Maribeth, Colin, Claire, Burke, Ben, Erik, Ariel, Elvee, Luke, Lily, June, Hayden, Grady & Landry; & 2 great great-grandchildren: Jonah & Sawyer.

Funeral Services will be held Saturday, October 17, 2020, 1:00 P.M. at the United Methodist Church of Imperial, NE, with Pastor Debra Copple officiating. Interment will follow at Mount Hope Cemetery, Imperial.

Visitation will be held Friday afternoon, October 16, 2020, 2-6:00 P.M. at the funeral home in Imperial.

In Lieu of flowers, a memorial has been suggested to the Kuenning Family for a future designation to the educational funds of the Imperial FFA and the Chase County 4-H Council.

Services will be webcast:
Imperial United Methodist Church Facebook page for live streaming.

On line condolences may be left at Liewer Funeral Home. Com

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