Kenneth Menke

Kenneth Menke, age 85, of Aurora, died Wednesday evening, March 26, 2003, at Memorial Community Care.

Funeral Services will be held at 10:00 A.M., Saturday, March 29th at the United Methodist Church in Aurora. Rev. Brian Kottas will officiate. Interment will be in the Diller Prairie Home Cemetery at 2:30 P.M. Visitation will be from 3 to 8 P.M. Friday at Higby-McQuiston Mortuary in Aurora. In lieu of flowers memorials may be made in care of the family. Condolences may be e-mailed to the family through the mortuary website at higbymortuary.com.

OBITUARY: KENNETH MENKE

Kenneth Charles Menke, the son of Albert and Charlotte (Roscoe) Menke, was born in Clatonia, Nebraska on November 28, 1917 and died in Aurora, Nebraska on March 26, 2003, at the age of 85.

He grew up in Saline and Gage Counties, where he attended school.

Kenneth was united in marriage to Doris Mann on November 19, 1938 at Marysville, Kansas. Kenneth worked at Store Kraft Manufacturing in Beatrice and farmed. They moved to Hamilton County in 1956 and returned back to Gage County in 1965. Kenneth worked for Peterson Vise Grip until he retired in 1983. In 1997, they moved to Aurora.

Kenneth was a member of the Ellis United Methodist Church and then the United Methodist Church in Aurora. He loved his grandkids and great-grandkids. Kenneth loved fishing, woodworking, camping and yard work.

He was preceded in death by his parents, six brothers, Harold, Lawrence, Willis, Cecil, Elwood and Robert Menke; two sisters, Elsie Buettgenbach and Irene Wiechal and two great-grandchildren.

Those left to cherish his memory are his wife Doris Menke of Aurora; two sons, Lanny Menke and his wife Merna of Marquette and Brad Menke and his wife Marilyn of Grand Island; two daughters, Sondra Cudaback and her husband Dale and Ardith Smith and her husband Tom all of Kearney; 12 grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren; 4 step-great grandchildren and 4 step great-great grandchildren. He is also survived by a brother, Clarence Menke of Delray, Florida and three sisters, Lorna Kubik of Beatrice, Rosie Heinricks of Williamsburg, Virginia and Grace Swanson and her husband Neal of West Yellowstone, Montana.