Roger Kuennen

Roger Charles Kuennen age 71 of Lawler, IA, died Thursday, April 16, 2015, at Linn Haven Rehab and Healthcare in New Hampton, IA. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held 10:30 a.m. Saturday, April 18, 2015, at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic Church, Lawler, with Rev. Nick March celebrating the Mass. Interment will be in the church cemetery with Jeff Langreck, Kerri Langreck, Tim Langreck, Jon Langreck, Curt Timlin, Mike Kuennen, Mark Kuennen, Regan Stone, Jade Stone and Neal Stone Jr. serving as pallbearers. Friends may greet the family beginning at 9:00 a.m. Saturday, April 18, 2015, at the church. Roger Charles Kuennen was born in Lawler, IA, on May 23, 1943, the son of Conrad and Katherine (Lusson) Kuennen. He attended Mount Carmel Catholic School and Turkey Valley High School. At age 16 he was a good athlete, good dancer and popular with his peers. He had a quick wit and sharp mind and delighted in razzing people. However that all changed on August 15, 1960 when he was involved in a serious head on car crash. He was taken to St. Mary’s in Rochester, MN, and was not expected to live. He remained unconscious for more than 30 days with a severe head injury. After a time, he improved enough to come home and continue recuperating there and at Goodwill Industries in Waterloo. After this he traveled to New Guinea to work with the Catholic Missionaries for two years. Arriving home, he graduated from a Truck Driving school and started working for a trucking company hauling frozen capons throughout the Midwest which he always humorously referred to as hauling “dead meat”. Years later, he underwent bypass surgery and had to quit the longer hauls and started picking up canned milk from farmers. During most of this time he had been living in Waterloo. When he could no longer work he moved to Waucoma. His health declined further to the point that he moved to Linn Haven Rehab and Healthcare in 2010. Roger was a very prayerful person and could usually be seen with a rosary in his hand. He also led the rosary once a week for the residents at the nursing home. Roger is survived by two brothers, Steve (Joyce) Kuennen of Waucoma, IA and Tom Kuennen of Oronoco, MN; six sisters, Germaine (Roger) Langreck of West Union, IA, Kay (Gary) Roberson of Bettendorf, IA, Susan (Neal) Stone of Lawler, IA, Pauline (Jim) Cox of Galena, IL, Jackie Stone of New Hampton, IA and Lisa (Harold) Busta of Lawler, IA; one brother-in-law, Gary Schulte of Cuba City, WI, and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; two sisters, Faith Kuennen and Gerie Schulte; one sister-in-law, Laurie Kuennen.