Otto Kahl

Otto Charles Kahl, the youngest of nine children of Heinrich Friedrich Wilhelm Kahl and Christine Wilhelmine Caroline (Rohrberg) Kahl, was born on the family farm in Oak Township near Mineola, Iowa on April 3, 1911. When Otto was eight years old, his mother died and he continued to live on the farm with his father and brothers and sisters. He attended rural Letal school where he graduated from the 8th grade and then continued to work and farm with his father. In 1936, Evelyn Ruth Killian was hired to teach Letal school. Otto started dating Evelyn and on December 28, 1938, the Rev. O.C. Biermann united them in marriage at St. John Lutheran Church in Mineola. Their first home was on the Kahl family farm where Otto continued to work and Evelyn finished her teaching term. They lived there for six years and were blessed with their first two children, Karen and Marvin. In 1944, they rented and moved to the Bart Anderson farm in Pottawattamie County where they continued to live for ten years. During this time, their third child, Elizabeth was born. In September of 1953, they bought the Sam Schoening farm in Mills County and moved back into Otto's old neighborhood. Otto ...[more]

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med until his retirement in 1976. He and Evelyn continued to live on their family farm and enjoyed spending time with their grandchildren, great grandchildren, and neighbors and friends. Otto and Evelyn had been married 62 years when Evelyn died on March 18, 2001. Otto was a life long member of St. John Lutheran Church in Mineola, Mineola Community Center, Glenwood Eagle's Club, and a former member of the Mineola Volunteer Fire Department. Due to failing health, Otto moved to Tabor Manor Care Center on January 27, 1994. Otto died at Tabor Manor on August 14, 2002 having attained the age of 91 years, 4 months, and 11 days. In addition to his wife Evelyn, Otto was preceded in death by his parents; brothers Henry Kahl, John Kahl, Albert Kahl, Fred Kahl, Edward Kahl, and Bill Kahl, sisters Olga Kahl and Hilda Kahl. Otto is survived by his children Karen Joy and her husband Merle of Falls City, NE, Marvin Kahl and his wife Marge of Mineola, and Elizabeth Young and husband Robert of Spearfish, SD; grandchildren Jennifer Krug, Mike Joy, Matt Joy, Christine Hansen, Charlie Kahl, Jeremy Kahl, Brad Young, Lori Sobczak, and Bryan Young; great grandchildren Dylan Krug, Tyler Krug, Wyatt Whitney, and Margaret Hansen; sisters-in-law Dorothy Kahl and Helen Kahl; nieces and nephews; other relatives and friends.