In loving memory of
Kenneth Arthur Lemke
January 21, 1941 - May 25, 2013
Kenneth Arthur Lemke
ELY, Minnesota -- Kenneth Arthur Lemke, 72, of Ely, formerly of Babbitt, died on Saturday, May 25, 2013, at the Boundary Waters Care Center in Ely.
The funeral was held on Saturday, June 1, 2013, at the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church of Babbitt. Burial took place in Ely Cemetery.
Kenneth was born on January 21, 1941, in Stone Lake, Wisconsin, the son of Arthur and Muriel Higgins Lemke.
Ken graduated from Ely High School in 1959 and joined the United States Navy, where he served until 1963.
He began work as a machinist at Reserve Mining Company from 1963-1983, and then worked in Superior, Wisconsin, before becoming employed with General Electric in 1987, retiring from GE in 2002.
On August 10, 1974, he married Kathy Anson of Muscatine, Iowa. They made their home together on Birch Lake in Babbitt. He was especially devoted to his wife, whom he cared for during her long battle with Multiple Sclerosis.
He is survived by his son, Mike Lemke and wife, Kristin, of Cottage Grove; a daughter, Patti Lemke and Brandon Fischer, of Rush City; four grandsons: Alex Fischer, Cameron Lemke, Brayden Fischer, and Erik Lemke; three sisters, Arlene Lemke of Ely, Barbara White and husband, Gary, of Jacksonville, Florida, and Shirley Lemke of Ely; and a brother-in-law, Mike Anson and wife, Tracey, of Muscatine.
He was preceded in death by his wife; his parents; and nephew, Leroy Hervonen.