Thief River Falls – Kenneth Mehrkens, 72 of Thief River Falls, died peacefully on Sunday, April 17, 2016 at Minnesota Greenleaf Senior Living in Thief River Falls.
Funeral service to celebrate his life will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 23, 2016 at Zion Lutheran Church in Thief River Falls with Rev. John Golv and Rev. Ale Tulu officiating. Burial will follow at Greenwood Cemetery in Thief River Falls.
Visitation will be held from 5 to 8 p.m., with a 7 p.m. prayer service on Friday, April 22, 2016 at Johnson Funeral Service in Thief River Falls. Visitation will also be held one hour prior to the funeral on Saturday at Zion Lutheran Church.
Kenneth Bruce Mehrkens was born on December 20, 1943 in Thief River Falls, the son of Maynard and Emma (Wiebe) Mehrkens. He was baptized and confirmed at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Thief River Falls. Ken attended Northrup Elementary School and Lincoln High School in Thief River Falls graduating with the class of 1961.
Ken was active in the Rocksbury 4-H Club and later Happy Acres as one of the original members. He enjoyed showing livestock at the county and state fairs.
In 1965, Ken was drafted into service with the United States Army National Guard and was active in 1965-1966 and later transferred to the Air National Guard.
On October 25, 1970, Ken was united in marriage to Connie Jorgenson in rural Kathryn, N.D. They made their home on the Mehrkens family farm in Rocksbury Township near Thief River Falls.
Ken was always involved in agriculture throughout his whole life, and was a good steward of the land. Field ditching was one of his favorite activities. Ken was the 2nd generation of his family to farm the same land and his greatest joy was sharing his love of farming with his son, Kyle.
Ken, Connie and Kyle enjoyed winter vacations in Florida and California. Ken loved spending time with his grandchildren. He was active in his church and community, holding most offices in his church and served 28 years as a Rocksbury Township supervisor. He was selected King Agassiz in the mid 80’s and served on various agriculture boards.
He was a member of Zion Lutheran Church and the American Legion Post 117 in Thief River Falls.
Survivors include his wife of 45 years Connie; son, Kyle and his wife, Misty Mehrkens; grandchildren, Maryssa, Kaylin, Kendra and Kaleb Mehrkens all of Thief River Falls; Godchildren, Ron Koop, Manvel, N.D., Nancy Geske-Larson, Euclid, Krista (Mehrkens) Halling, Thief River Falls, Jonathan Beck, Thief River Falls, and Evan Browning, Thief River Falls; and several cousins.
He is preceded in death by his parents; grandparents; and several aunts and uncles.
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.johnsonfuneralservice.com.
A00003B2016AP20