Albert Louis Kleihauer

Albert “Al” Louis Kleihauer died unexpectedly, on December 23, 2018, at the age of 88 at Mercy Medical Center in Sioux City, Iowa.  He was experiencing heart problems and needed an aortic valve replacement.  Al was born on January 7, 1930, on a farm northwest of Le Mars, Iowa.  He was the 11^th child of Heinrich and Johanna Dirks Kleihauer.  He attended school at Grant No. 7 Country School and was a member of Christ Lutheran Church in Grant Township until he moved to town in 1960. 

In 1951, Al was drafted into the Marine Corps.  He served for 2 years in the Korean War as a communication lineman.  On July 16, 1953, he was married to Mildred “Milly” Marie Hughes in Merrill, Iowa, while on a leave from service.  They moved to California to complete his tour of duty.  After he was discharged, he and Milly moved back to a farm northwest of Le Mars.  Milly and Al had 3 daughters Lynette in 1954, Diane in 1955, and Jolene in 1959.   He farmed for 7 years, after which, they moved to town where he worked at Albertson & Co./Sioux Tools Inc.  They built their dream home in Le Mars in 1961 and had their son, Mark, in 1962.  In 1965, Al acquired a new job at Wilson Foods in Cherokee, Iowa.  After two years of driving from Le Mars, the family decided to move to Cherokee, Iowa.   After 20 years of hard work, he retired from his job at Wilson Foods in 1985. 

Milly and Al remained very active during their many years of retirement.  They travelled to Texas each winter for 22 years.  They visited nearly every state in the US, except Rhode Island, and enjoyed trips to the Bahamas, Europe, Alaska, and Hawaii.  Al was a member of the VFW and Legion for many years.  He enjoyed playing cards with friends and family. He loved music; he danced and sang at every opportunity.  He loved meeting new people and telling them about his family and life experiences.  No one was a stranger to Al; he always made sure he knew what he had in common with everyone he met.  He embodied the values of duty, honor, and service instilled by the Marine Corp all his life, and he continued to serve others in death by being an organ donor.

Al was preceded in death by his parents; all siblings, Johann Kleihauer, Jack Kleihauer, Anna (John) Plueger, Mary (Fred Livermore/Cletus) Wiebersch, Meta (Robert) Ruble, Emma (Fred) Harms, Henry (Jean) Kleihauer, Etta (Henry) Beitelspacher, Otto (Marilyn/Jeannine) Kleihauer, and Lilian (John) Moller; son-in-law, Jim Smith; brother-in-law, Ronald Bock.

Al is survived by his beloved wife of 65 years, Milly; his children, Lynette (Patrick) Hyndman of Cherokee, Diane (Dean) Halstrom of Meriden, Jolene Smith of Correctionville, Mark (Mona Rosdail) Kleihauer of Spirit Lake; 11 grandchildren, James Smith, Jason Michael, Cherilyn (David) Wicks, Daniel (Anita Sadhu) Hyndman, Justin (Tiffany Carlson) Smith, Aaron (Diana) Halstrom, Alan Halstrom, Josh (Shayna Ruehle) Smith, Jasmine (Zach) Maule, Cassie (Josh) Jacobsen, Chloe (Garrett) Felling; 8 great-grandchildren- Emma, Sydney, Oliver, Kylie, Wyatt, Zion, Tucker, and Calvin; and a sister-in-law, Dorothy Bock.

The funeral service will be 10:30 a.m. Saturday, December 29th at Bethlehem Lutheran Church 300 E Bow Dr., Cherokee, IA 51012, where Al was a member. Visitation with the family will be 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday, December 28th at the church.  Burial will be at Hillside Cemetery, north of Merrill, Iowa. 

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