Kenneth Leon Kinzer

Kenneth Leon Kinzer was born on January 24, 1944, in Council Bluffs, Iowa, to Thomas Leonard and Virginia Belle (Hemmingsen) Kinzer. He grew up on a farm outside Oakland, Iowa, and graduated from Oakland High School in 1962. On October 12, 1963, Ken married Joyce Durick at St. John United Church of Christ in Council Bluffs. Together they raised four children: Scott, Steven, Starr, and Samuel. Ken spent many years in the livestock industry as a hog buyer and farmer, and later worked at the Schemmer Rock Quarry in Logan, Iowa. The family lived in several rural Iowa communities, including areas near Crescent, Villisca, Dunlap, and Woodbine. He was a longtime member of the Community of Christ Church, where he served as a Deacon.

More than a farmer, Ken was a steward of the land who cultivated both crops and lasting connections with those around him. He found quiet joy in his sunroom with a cup of coffee and was deeply committed to the Guthrie Grove Camp Board, where his efforts focused on improving the experiences of others. In his later years, he enjoyed the simple pleasure of watching cowboy shows on television. Above all, Ken was remembered for the steadfast love he showed his family and the deep, nurturing bonds he maintained with them throughout his life.

Ken died on March 7, 2026, at Azria Health Rose Vista in Woodbine at the age of 82.

He was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Joyce Kinzer of Woodbine; children Scott Kinzer and his wife Leesa of Denison, Iowa, Steven Kinzer and his wife Carol Ann of Alpharetta, Georgia, Starr and her husband Keith Herrington of Omaha, Nebraska, and Samuel Kinzer and his wife Susan of North Liberty, Iowa; grandchildren Paige Kinzer, Sydney and her husband Barry Buehler, Bryce Herrington, Grant Herrington, Jack Kinzer, Nathan Kinzer, and Maxwell Kinzer; great-granddaughter Maisie and her little brother due in May; siblings Lynette Davenport of Columbia, Missouri, and Craig Kinzer of Council Bluffs; and many other relatives and friends.