James Frederick Kitchenmaster, 82, of Luverne, died Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020, at his home.
A funeral service is 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 29, at the St. John Lutheran Church in Luverne. Burial with military honors will be in Maplewood Cemetery, Luverne.
James Frederick Kitchenmaster was born on April 9, 1937, to William and Anna (Lauck) Kitchenmaster in Luverne.
He was baptized on May 2, 1937, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Steen and was raised on a farm east of Hills. He was confirmed on March 25, 1951, at Calvary Lutheran Church in Lester, Iowa.
He attended school in Hills through the eighth grade and then began farming with has dad in addition to working at Blue Ribbon Hatchery and later the Luverne Farm Store.
On June 14, 1959, Jim was united in marriage to Carolyn Rapp at St. John Lutheran Church in Luverne. In September 1960 Jim entered the United States Army and served until September 1962. He was stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas, and Fort Lewis, Washington, and during his service time he received his G.E.D.
Upon honorable discharge from the Army, Jim went to work at MID Packing Co. in Luverne and later returned to his home place to farm.
He retired from farming in 1985 and in 1987 the couple moved into Luverne where Jim worked for Rock County Harvestore until 1996 and then worked for Dave’s Repair. During his retirement years, Jim also enjoyed assisting at the Tuff Memorial Home in Hills as a driver for their residents.
Jim was a member of St. John Lutheran Church where he had served as an usher and offering counter.
His lifelong love of farming led him to be a collector of John Deere toys and equipment. He also enjoyed his Tuesday morning coffee crew, trading cars and spending winters with Carolyn and their friends in Mesa, Arizona.
Jim is survived by his wife of 60 years, Carolyn; two children, Paul (Sherri) of Hills, and Kristi (fiancé, Stephen Scalli) of Boxford, Massachusetts; five grandchildren: Devon, Derek, Chandler, Luke and Kyra; a brother, Loren (Deborah) of Ardmore, Alabama; and a sister-in-law, Janice Kitchenmaster of Hawarden, Iowa.
He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Arvin Kitchenmaster.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be directed to Scholarships within the Little Lambs Pre-school at St. John Lutheran Church.
Arrangements were provided by Hartquist Funeral Home of Luverne, hartquistfuneral.com.
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