Carl John Kuenne

Dad’s Obituary

On March 14, 2025, the world lost a wonderful man—a true original. 

Carl John Kuenne was born in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, on June 16, 1948.  He met the love of his life, Rita, in Biology class in Concordia College, Milwaukee.  As they dissected a pig together in lab, it was love at first cut.  They were married in 1970.  In 1974, they moved to Littleton, Colorado, with Rita’s parents, George and Lina, who moved in with them.  They raised five beautiful children, Adam, Erika, Brett, Paul, and Jonathan, and later welcomed their children’s significant others into the family, Carlos, Sarah, Brittany, and Bethany, followed by four adorable grandchildren, Elliot, Audrey, Loma, and Lina. 

Carl loved the outdoors.  He liked to go camping and fishing, especially if it involved long drives.  He imparted his love of the outdoors to his children.  No matter where he was, Carl appreciated good food.  He was a fan of bratwurst, cheeses, corn beef, pastrami, Reubens, cheeses, coleslaw, barbecue, pickles, pickled herring, and green chili, any of which he washed down with Diet Coke.  Carl liked listening to classical music, radio talk shows, and reports on weather and road conditions. 

Throughout his life, he developed his own vernacular to express his feelings or assess a situation: If he didn’t like something, he’d say “I don’t care for it”; when he hadn’t yet done something, he’d say “I haven’t gotten around to it”; to confirm that Rita should do something she was suggesting, he’d say “might as well, Rita”; a place that couldn’t be trusted was a “shady outfit”;  something that worked well was “slick”; hot food was “sharp,” not spicy; and he’d often begin a request with the word “say,” as in “say, do you think you could pick us up some Diet Coke while you’re at the store?” 

Carl was a man of faith and prayer.  In fact, Carl attended the seminary in Milwaukee.  And he, Rita, and his children regularly attended service on Sundays at a Lutheran Church.  Carl could speak German, Ancient Greek, Hebrew, and Latin.  Most importantly, Carl liked spending time with his wife, Rita, the sun in his galaxy.  She was everything to him—it didn’t matter where he was or what he was doing, so long as he was with Rita. 

Carl passed away peacefully surrounded by family.  A family man through and through, Carl will never be forgotten.  He is greatly missed.      

A Memorial Service will be held at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, March 26, 2025, at St. Philip Lutheran Church, 7531 S. Kendall Blvd. Littleton, CO 80128. 

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Compassion International, in memory of Carl Kuenne. Please click here: http://compassion.com/carljohnkuenne

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