Kenneth Oetker

The Chicago Cubs lost one of their biggest fans with the passing of Kenneth Oetker on Thursday, December 5th, 2019, at the age of 84.          Ken’s family wishes to extend a sincere thank you for the wonderful care he has received at Glenwood Place, Grandview Heights, The Willows and Iowa River Hospice. All of them are very special to his family.          A funeral mass will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, December 10th, at the Immaculate Conception Oratory in Haverhill with Fr. Michael McAndrew officiating. He will be laid to rest in the Immaculate Conception Cemetery with full military honors by the combined VFW/American Legion Marshalltown and area posts. Visitation will be held from 5-7:00 p.m. Monday at the Mitchell Family Funeral Home with a 7:00 p.m. vigil service. A memorial fund is being established. For condolences, please visit www.mitchellfh.com . Ph. 641-844-1234.          Born on June 6th, 1935, on the family farm at Haverhill, he was the son of Henry and Anna (Pille) Oetker. He attended St. Joseph’s Parochial School and graduated in 1953 from St. Mary’s High School in Marshalltown. Kenneth served our country honorably in the United States Army from 1958 to 1960.          On November 19th, 1966, at St. Mary’s in Marshalltown, he married the love of his life, Reta Karns Walker and her five children: Cindy, Gary, Jeff, Tim and Dawn. Cindy describes this beginning of a new life for them as a “Cinderella Story.” They moved into the large farmhouse and quickly became a part of all the Oetker family. Soon, they were joined by Joel in 1969 and Kyle in 1970. Mr. Oetker was a hardworking farmer who also worked at Welp’s Elevator (Mid Iowa Co-Op) in Haverhill.          Ken was a diehard Cubs and Bears fan and also enjoyed the Iowa Hawkeyes. He was a loving and forgiving man and he tried really hard to forgive Dawn and her kids for being Boston Red Sox fans! Actually, there was one person he would not forgive someone who likes the New England Patriots! He was a man of deep faith, a member of the Knights of Columbus and appreciated the land he farmed, as it represented years of the Oetker legacy.           Left to cherish his memory are Reta, his loving wife of 53 years; children: Cindy Walker of Kentwood, MI; Jeff (Brenda) Walker of Burlington, IA; Tim (Stacy) Walker of Iowa Falls; Dawn Walker Brunetti of Baxter; Joel (Melissa) Oetker of Bakersfield, CA; and Kyle (Danielle) Oetker of Fargo, ND; fourteen precious grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; a brother Don of Chicago; and many nieces, nephews, cousins, friends and the Karns family.          In death, he rejoins his parents; son Gary, who passed away on October 26, 1980; brothers Glenn and Jerry and Theodore, in infancy.