OREGON — Kenneth A. Leifheit, 85, passed away Saturday, March 14, 2020 at Serenity Hospice and Home in Oregon.
Ken was born on Dec. 15, 1934 in Aurora to Henry L. and Lillian R. (Campbell) Leifheit. After marrying his first wife, Virginia “Jennie” (Johnson) Leifheit, he proudly served in Germany with the United States Army from 1957 to 1959 and then served in the United States Air Force Reserve stateside.
Upon returning home, he resumed his accounting clerk position at NIcor(formerly NIGas) and welcomed the birth of Sharon Leifheit of Metamora, and Sandra (Andrew) Bell of Plano.
Ken attended Our Savior Lutheran Church in Aurora, enjoyed golfing, and was an avid car enthusiast with his rebuilt dragster in the garage and his 1965 Ford Mustang in the driveway.
Ken married Judy Hill Stran in 1970 and had a son, James (Kristi) Leifheit of Leavenworth, Washington, and daughter, Kaycee (Paul) Chadwick of Rochelle. They designed and built a duplex before building a home outside Elburn.
Ken received his B.S. in Accounting and transitioned to a financial analyst role at Nicor. He was an active member of Grace Lutheran Church in Lily Lake and enjoyed camping, traveling, biking and fishing.
Ken married Marie M. Grabarek in March of 1987 and, after his retirement from Nicor in 1992, moved to a small hobby farm in Soldiers Grove, Wisconsin. He served as the Commander of the Boscobel American Legion Post. He also enjoyed his work with the Muskets and Memories Civil War re-enactment committee including researching and publishing the journal of their events.
Ken is survived by his four children; brother, Gene (Joan) Leifheit of Oswego; four stepchildren, Scott Grabarek, Heidi Campbell, Svea Bylsma and Paul Grabarek; and grandchildren, Michelle (Joe) Spielman, Brittany (Brian) Boukal, Nathanial (Erika) Mayer, John, Joey, Jimmy, Jacob and Justin Chadwick, Arielle (Kyle) Nichols, Reilly Campbell, Sam (Taylor) Campbell, Keegan Campbell, Gia Campbell, Sydney Kopp, Arthur Patrick, and Noble Grabarek.
In addition to his parents, Ken was preceded in death by his wife, Marie, on Sept. 8, 2019.
Service and burial are private.
Visit www.ungerhorner.com to sign the online guest book.