Thief River Falls – Kermit Albert Kemnitz, 91, of Thief River Falls, passed away peacefully from pneumonia complications on Monday, December 13, 2021 at Sanford Medical Center in Thief River Falls.
Kermit Kemnitz was born May 10, 1930 to Albert and Philippina Kemnitz in Hamilton, North Dakota. Starting that day and every single day after, he was loved. Every day his entire life, he was a man of good intentions. He was honest, trustworthy, and consistent. He believed that you show up on time, earn what you get, and provide for those who depend on you. He believed in fairness, that everyone should get a fair deal in life. His loyalty to his family and job was unbreakable. His faith and personal convictions were strong and unwavering.
Kermit enjoyed his trips to the casino, and he never turned down a card game. Kermit was difficult to beat because he could do complicated math in his head– he remembered every discard. He kept meticulous handwritten records spanning decades that he updated daily without fail. Kermit used these notes to keep track of the performance of individual stocks, his casino winnings, and anything important to him. In other words, he did data entry with pen and paper without knowing or caring what an Excel spreadsheet was, and he did this as a hobby. He was a creature of habit, and he comfortably embraced his daily routines.
At age 7, the family moved to a small farm outside Middle River. He graduated from Middle River High School with the class of 1948. At school, he met the love of his life, Lois Brandon. They were united in marriage on June 1, 1950, and were married for 58 years. To this union were born 5 children: Diana, Debi, Jodi, Kari, and Brian. Lois passed away on April 26, 2008.
Back in the early 50s many farms across Northwestern Minnesota didn’t have electricity. Kermit was part of a crew of pole climbers that went up and down, laying the wire that improved the quality of life for many across Minnesota. It was important, hard work in the heat of summer; he was very proud of his involvement in the rural electrification of Minnesota. Soon after, he was employed by TR Jobbing, remaining there for approximately 35 years before retiring in his 50s.
Kermit is survived by 3 daughters, Debi Rogalla of Thief River Falls, Jodi (Norm) Halsa of Milwaukee, WI and Kari (Keith Richardson) Kemnitz of Decatur, GA; 1 son, Brian (Terri) Kemnitz of Grand Forks, ND; 6 grandchildren, Carter (Leslie) Rogalla, Ryan Rogalla, Rick (Denisse Voelkner) Donarski, Amy (John) Danielson, Tyler (Sierra) Kemnitz, and Aaron Kemnitz; 10 great-grandchildren, Alexa (Eric) Buckley, Haylie, Carlie, Kaia and Gauge Rogalla, Elliot and Rowan Donarski, Mable, Vayda, and Winsley Danielson; sister, Lorene Martini; sister-in-law, Jean Brandon; and brother-in-law, Arland (Avis) Brandon.
He was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Lois; daughter, Diana; brothers-in-law, Elmer Martini, Harold Brandon; sister-in-law, Deloris Brandon; and grandchildren, Robert and Jaclyn.
The family would like to extend a special thank you to the staff at Oakland Park for the wonderful care he received these past few years.
Trinity Lutheran Church in Thief River Falls was very important to both Kermit and Lois. The family is confident that it would be the wishes of both that any considerations of donations be directed to Trinity to help the church continue doing for others what it provided them in direction and comfort.
May his memory be blessed.
Funeral Services will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, January 8, 2022 at Trinity Lutheran Church, Thief River Falls. Burial will be at Greenwood Cemetery, Thief River Falls, following the service.
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