December 3 1941 January 25 2022
Donald “Don” Kemerling, 80, of Grand Island passed away Tuesday Jan. 25, 2022 at Mary Lanning Hospital in Hastings. Celebration of Life Service will be 10:30 AM Tuesday at All Faiths Funeral Home. Daniel Naranjo will officiate. Military honors will be rendered by the U.S. Navy and United Veterans Honor Guard. Casual dress is requested. Family will be greeting friends from 5-7 PM Monday at All Faiths Funeral Home. To honor Don’s wishes cremation has taken place. Memorials are suggested to the family for future designation. Online condolences may be sent to www.giallfaiths.com Don was born December 3, 1941 to Albert and Dorothy (Taylor) Kemerling in Weston, Nebraska and grew up on a farm outside town. He loved motorcycles at a young age and bought his first one when he was a teenager. He graduated from Weston High School in 1960 and was an avid basketball player. After high school he joined the US Navy and served 2 years on the Navy destroyer USS Higbee traveling to the far-east including Japan and the Philippines. He was united in marriage to Marjorie “Marge” Odvody on November 21, 1964 at St. John’s Catholic Church in Prague, Nebraska. The couple lived in Wahoo, Nebraska and he worked at the Wahoo meat packing plant. In 1966 he transferred to the Swift meat packing plant in Grand Island, where he worked until going into business for himself. He owned and operated OK Lawn Service for 25 years until 2001. He then went to work at the Grand Island United Veteran’s Club. He did maintenance and took great pride in keeping the lawn green and mowed. He also spent countless hours volunteering with bingo. He served on the board for many years and as president. He also was a member of the color guard serving many veteran’s funerals. He loved the outdoors and was an avid gardener and enjoyed barbequing. He loved everything about nature and spent many years in his younger days camping and fishing in Nebraska, Minnesota, and up to Canada. His favorite was the week vacation he took every year for 30 years to Truman Lake in Missouri with his family. He also had a great love for motorcycles and went to Sturgis several years and was a member of the Overland Motorcycle club that enjoy weekends of camping, dirt bike riding, and hill climbing. He also loved reading, especially loved reading any books that involved dogs or history. He had multiple nature magazine subscriptions that he looked forward to each month. Those left to cherish his memory are his wife of 57 years Margorie “Marge” Kemerling of Grand Island; son, Roger Kemerling and wife Tina of Pleasant Hill, Missouri; daughter-in-law, Stephanie Kemerling of Omaha; seven grandchildren, Casandra Thompson, Jenny Reeves, Christopher Kemerling, Jordan Kemerling, Jessica Clark, Cassy Reeves, and Kohl Kemerling; seven great grandchildren, Hunter and Carter Kemerling, Sawyer, Bentley, and Kamryn Thompson, Elliott Kemerling, and Andrew Clark and numerous nephews and nieces. He is proceeded in death by his parents Albert and Dorothy Kemerling; brother, James Kemerling; son, Richard Kemerling; three sisters-in-law and four brothers-in-law. To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Donald Kemerling please visit our Sympathy Store.
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Donald Kemerling December 3 1941 January 25 2022.
Death notice for the town of: Grand Island, state: Nebraska