Dr. John F. Kuecker Ph.D., age 79, of Kearney died Tuesday, December 27, 2011 at his home.
Funeral services will be Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. at First Lutheran Church in Kearney. Rev. Eric Lesher and Rev. Rebecca McDermott will officiate. Burial will follow at Kearney Cemetery. Visitation will be Monday, January 2, 2011 from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. at Horner Lieske McBride & Kuhl Funeral and Cremation Services in Kearney and 1 hour prior to services at the church on Tuesday. Memorials are suggested to the family for designation at a later date. A message of condolence, tribute or memory can be left at www.hlmkfuneral.com Horner Lieske McBride & Kuhl Funeral and Cremation Services in Kearney are in charge of arrangements.
John was born on March 21, 1932 to Edwin and Lillian (Ericson) Kuecker in Webster SD. John married Evelith Engelsgaard on August 29, 1958 at the Sinai Lutheran Church in Sinai, SD. Four children were born to this union; William, Jay, Mark and Rodney. John graduated from Webster High School, in 1950 and Northern State Teachers College in Aberdeen, SD in 1954 with a B. S. Degree in Education, majoring in physical science, mathematics and biology. John taught high school chemistry, physical science and biology at Sisseton, SD for two years in ‘54-’55 and ‘56-’57 and completed a B. S. Degree in Chemistry at the same time at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City, SD and graduating in 1958. He completed a Master of Science Degree in Chemistry in 1962 at University of Nebraska at Lincoln and a Ph. D. in Chemistry in 1965. He served as a Graduate Assistant while working on his degrees at UNL from 1958-1965. He taught chemistry at Doane College in Crete, NE for two years (1963-1965) before joining the Chemistry Department at Kearney State College in 1965 as a Professor of Chemistry. John retired in 1996 after teaching at KSC & UNK for 31 years. He served as a Chemistry Department Chairman for several years and was proud to be a chairman of a National Education Science Foundation project. He enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren and wife and travelled a great deal. His hobbies included: hunting, fishing, rock collecting and polishing, making jewelry, stain glass, photography, reading, doing crossword puzzles, playing card games, woodworking and traveling all over the United States and Canada. He even enjoyed going overseas to Germany, Egypt, and Norway. He also had a keen interest in the beginning of personal computers back in the seventies writing several computer programs. He was a member of First Lutheran Church and in the earlier days, he served on the church council, took part in bible study group, taught the Bethel Bible Series, was a sound technician and usher. He was a member of the Fort Kearney Lapidary Club, Sons of Norway, American Chemical Society and Opdalslag.
Surviving Relatives:
Wife------------------------Evy Kuecker, of Kearney
Sons-----------------------William Kuecker, of Kearney
Jay and Marcia Kuecker, of Kearney
Mark and Ann Kuecker, of Elkhorn, NE
Rodney and Tracey Kuecker, of Colorado Springs, CO
Grandchildren-----------Jon, Luke, Jenna, Seth, Aaron, Ryan, Ellie, Dalton, Garrett, Kayla, Jaylynn and Eva.
Sister----------------------Betty and Jim Glosimodt, of Watertown, SD
Brothers-------------------Ed and Mary Kuecker, of Webster, SD
Charles Kuecker, of Webster, SD
Paul and ShirleyKuecker, of Webster, SD
David and Debbie Kuecker, of Webster, SD
Roger and Carol Kuecker, of Webster, SD
Sisters-in-law------------Lorraine Engelsgaard, of Santa Paula, CA
Mildred Schill, of Huron, SD
Brothers-in-law----------Arley Engelsgaard, of Lafayette, CO
Duane and Rosie Engelsgaard, of Citrus Heights, CA
Glen and Charlene Engelsgaard, of Visalia, CA
Several nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his father and mother (Edwin and Lillian), his sister and brother-in-law Mary Ann and Alvin Olson and sister-in-law Molly Kuecker.
