Navy F1c Kenneth Doernenburg
February 4, 1918 - December 7, 1941

Navy Fireman First Class Kenneth E. Doernenburg, died on December 7, 1941, during the attack on the USS Oklahoma at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Kenneth was born on February 4, 1918, in Dorchester, Wisconsin a son of Fred and Louise (Hagen) Doernenburg.

He joined the United States Navy on January 23, 1940.

Mr. Doernenburg was assigned to the USS Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Doernenburg.

During the years after the attack, Navy personnel worked hard to recover the remains of the deceased crew. Unidentified remains were interred at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii. In 2015, as part of the USS Oklahoma Project, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, through a partnership with the Department of Veterans Affairs, exhumed all of the unknown remains from the USS Oklahoma and began the lengthy identification process. Kenneth's remains were identified in March of 2021.

The local Sparks-Doernenburg American Legion Post 3 is named in memory of the first local serviceman to die in WWI, Reese Sparks,
and the first local man to die in WWII, Kenneth Doernenburg.

Ken had three brothers; Fred and Donald, who both died at the age of 12, and Lloyd (Bertha) Doernenburg who resided in Antigo and later in Petoskey, Michigan. Lloyd and Bertha are both deceased.

Survivors include a niece, Elaine Doernenburg; great-nephews, Joseph (Toni) Detzler and their children Joseph and Lindsay; Steven (Heidi) Jones and their children Steven, JR and Emily; Mark (Tammy) Doernenburg and their children Katie Smith and Courtney Gould all of Michigan; and a great-niece, Debra (Jeffery) Hiatt of Florida.

A graveside service with military honors will be held on Saturday, September 25, 2021, at 1 p.m. at the Elmwood Cemetery in Antigo.

A funeral procession will begin at the Bradley Funeral Home on Saturday at 12:45 p.m. and travel South on Hwy 45 to Forrest Road, continuing eastbound to the Elmwood Cemetery. Those attending the service are welcome to join us in the procession.

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