Kenneth Koehn

Kenneth Dale Koehn, 74, passed away June 13, 2025, at Lake Point of El Dorado.

Kenneth was born Oct. 31, 1950, at Goessel to Elmer and Ruby (Schmidt) Koehn. His growing-up years were spent in the Goessel, Potwin, and Burns communities. He obtained his eight years of education at Goessel.

Kenneth gave his heart to the Lord at the young age of 14 and was baptized into the Church of God in Christ, Mennonite, by pastor Lester Koehn on April 25, 1975. He remained faithful to these vows until the end.

On Oct. 19, 1975, Kenneth married Areletta Schmidt. They enjoyed almost 50 years together and were blessed with a very much-loved daughter, Gwenda Ann.

Kenneth spent his working years in a variety of jobs. He started his first job at age 19 at Potwin IGA. He thoroughly enjoyed his 23 years in the grocery industry and made many friends and was loved by all.

The next 20 years were spent in the janitorial business, cleaning local office buildings as a family.

For 15 years, he rose early each morning to deliver the Wichita Eagle Beacon, stopping and getting out of his car and placing each paper at the doorsteps of community members with care for easy access by readers.

He finished his working years in the catering business with his wife and daughter before Parkinson’s disease started to make life challenging.

Kenneth was a quiet, respectful man with a sense of humor, a lover of song, and a writer of poems and letters, sending them to friends and family far and near. Missionaries often were recipients of these labors of love.

He always will be remembered as a master gardener. Flowers were his special companions, thriving under his care. His gardens were beautiful and provided him a secret place of prayer.

He left with an assurance of peace in his heart. Some of his last words were of thankfulness to his family and a clear, “Bye, everybody.”

Those left to cherish memories are his wife, Areletta; daughter, Gwenda; brother, Eldon, and wife Connie Koehn of Leland, Mississippi; four brothers-in-law; and 10 sisters-in-law.

Those gone before are his parents, a brother and two sisters-in-law.