The True Story of Kenneth Hempel
Kenneth A. Hempel was born (in his own words) “20 days after Pearl Harbor” on December 27, 1941 in St. Paul, Minnesota. He died June 9, 2022 at Roosevelt Medical Center located in Culbertson, Montana.
Ken’s parents were Albert B. Hempel and Florence Moon. Albert was killed in WWII when Kenneth was 3 and his brother Bob was 2. Kenneth was drafted into the Army after high school. At that time, he had an option to go to Vietnam or Germany. He chose Germany. (Good choice!) However, while the U.S. soldiers were marching through the forest in Germany, Ken fell into a tunnel used by the Nazi’s during WWII!
Ken met Diane Krahn at the Toni Company in St. Paul, Minnesota where they both worked. Ken wanted to take Diane to the bar after work. She said, “No. Come to Church with me.” Ken went to the church and soon accepted Christ as his Savior! Later he gave out Gospel tracts and prayed for people. Kenneth and Diane were married August 16, 1968 in Diane’s hometown church in Wolf Point, Montana.
Back to Kenyon, Minnesota, the couple bought a farm – Kenneth’s dream! They raised a variety of fowl and other animals. Their land had rich soil, and there was already a big strawberry patch, rhubarb plants, berry bushes, and pine trees! However, foxes were getting into the chicken coop! The neighbor came with a shotgun. It scared the hens, too, and they stopped laying eggs! At this time the U.S. economy was going through inflation, and cheap eggs were hard to find in the grocery stores! We didn’t have enough cats, so mice got into the farmhouse! We sold the farm and moved to Montana!
Ken and Diane ended up in the little town of Poplar on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. There was an opening at the Detox Center for a cook. Ken took it. (They wanted a Native American for the job, but were desperate!) Ken learned to make Indian fry bread. Next there was an opening for a school lunch supervisor. This kept him busy! He baked buns and cinnamon rolls from scratch.
As the years went by, there was a building for rent. Kenneth wanted so much to start his own bakery. Diane was already baking and decorating cakes at home, so this was a better place to do it. However, the landlord did not want to fix the roof and it began to cave in. We left. After that, Ken did some restaurant cooking.
Is there time for college when you are getting older? Kenneth and Diane tried that. We signed up at Fort Peck Community College for the Beginning Computer Course. Was it hard to catch on? Yes!
So…did Ken and Diane have a family? Indeed, they did! Here are their names in birth order: Natalie, Kevin, Justin, Derek, Rachel, Stephanie, Sarah, and Julie. There are also 26 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren on the way. What a blessing!
Ken’s motto was “The Best is yet to come!” Now he has his “Best” in Heaven!
“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Philippian 1:21
Written by Ken’s loving wife, Diane.
Kenneth Albert Hempel is survived by his wife, Diane S. Krahn Hempel; his children, Natalie Hempel Keiser, Kevin (Dorinda) Hempel, Justin (Kim) Hempel, Derek Hempel, Rachel (Scott) Hempel Czaplewski, Stephanie (Peter) Hempel Jones, Sarah Hempel, and Julie (Kyle) Hempel Martin; his grandchildren, Crystal (Daniyal), Reno, Samantha (Elijah), Nathan (Elizabeth), Victoria, Emma, Kaylee, Severyn, Doriane, Justin II, Eric, Isaiah, Tyrus, Benjamin, Haley, Devin, Ella W., Ella H., Katie, Jackson, Alex, Sophia, Elizabeth, Chase, and Ethan; his great-grandchildren, Esther, Jabrial, and two on the way; his brother, ‘Bob’ Albert Hempel; and his niece, Twyla (Eric) Hempel Kampa.
Kenneth is preceded in death by his grandparents, Frederick ‘Fred’ Hempel and Lillian Laumann Hempel, Ernest Moon, and Elsie Adams Moon; his parents, Albert Hempel and Florence Moon Hempel Lueck; his granddaughter, Leslie Keiser; and his great-granddaughter, Evangeline Stancliff.
A memorial service will be held 10 a.m. Friday, July 8 at the Clayton Stevenson Memorial Chapel in Wolf Point. Inurnment will follow at the Greenwood Cemetery in Wolf Point. Clayton Stevenson Memorial Chapel of Wolf Point has been entrusted with the arrangements. Condolences for the family may be left using the form below.