Myrtle Marie Kiehl

Myrtle Marie Kiehl (Haynes) was born Feb. 24th, 1927, on a farm near Arno, MO. Her parents were Rachel & James Haynes & James was a widower with 11 children when he married Rachel. When Marie was 3 years old, the family home burned and they moved by horse & wagon to Stover, MO, to be near relatives. She started school at a one room schoolhouse where all 8 grades were taught by one teacher. Many cold days all the children would build a fire to warm up on the way to school. Her father died of pneumonia when she was 9 years old & she & her mother moved to Ava, MO, to live with her grandparents. Two years later, her mother married Archie Bacorn & they moved again to a farm 10 miles from town & 3 miles from the closest neighbor. Marie’s job was to take her dog, Bounce, & go into the woods to hunt the cows & bring them in for milking. Their meager income was from the sale of milk & eggs. She was allowed to go to high school by working summers in town at a drugstore & delivering milk for a dairy farmer.

She graduated from Ava High School in 1945 & moved to Atchison, KS to live with her half-sister, Maxine. She was hired as a switchboard operator for S.W. Bell Telephone and later worked in the office. Bowling & roller skating were the only recreational activities in the small town & she met her future husband, John Kiehl, at the bowling alley. John was home on leave from the Army Air Corps. After a few dates & lots of correspondence, they both knew they had found their “soul mate”. They were married at Trinity Lutheran parsonage on August 11, 1946. John began working for Missouri Pacific Railroad (which later became Union Pacific) as a switchman & later as a conductor. Marie later worked for Kansas Power & Light as a controller for linemen & gas crews. In 2002, after John retired, they moved to Sun Lakes, AZ to be near their daughter & family.

John & Marie were blessed with 3 children and their future spouses: Pamela King (Bobby), John Kiehl, Jr. (Debbie) & Kevin Kiehl (Jan); 6 grandchildren: Robyn Portlock, Tim Kirkham, Amanda King, Casey King (Jamie), Shauna Kiehl, Justin Kiehl (Brittney); 6 great-grandchildren: Hannah Munson, Alex Portlock, Jordyn Kiehl, Macy Kiehl, Jacob Kiehl, Colby King; & 1 great-great grandchild: Eden Munson.

Marie loved to garden, can vegetables, fish & hunt mushrooms. She loved to babysit for her grandchildren & they would have tea parties, play church, and go swimming, fishing & crawdad hunting. She was an excellent seamstress & made many clothes for her family. She was very active in her church, both in Atchison & Sun Lakes, and started quilting groups at both churches. Their quilts were sent all over the world to those in need.

She is preceded in death by her husband, John, her parents & grandparents, 11 half-brothers & sisters, and many nieces & nephews.