Funeral homes often submit obituaries as a service to the families they are assisting. However, we will be happy to accept obituaries from family members pending proper verification of the death.
Please raise a glass of your favorite drink to the long, adventurous life of Kenneth Kliewer, who died peacefully on June 17, 2022, in Hood River, Ore.
Ken is survived by wife Kathleen, whom he was married to for 62 wonderfully eventful years. Who else moves to Germany with three young kids relying on a book called “Germany on $10 a Day?” Luckily, they were backed up by the University of Hamburg, where Ken was a visiting professor. Their three children were: Steve (Karen), Lisa, and Chris; and then they had six grandchildren: Andrew, Justin, Jackson, Joey, Erica, and Dylan. To the grandchildren, he was proudly Papa Ken.
Ken was born on the last day of 1935, always thinking New Year’s Eve was a celebration of his birth, and grew up in the small town of Mountain Lake, Minn., son of Henry and Susan Kliewer, brother to Carolyn. The energetic, curious boy grew to be an energetic, curious man, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Minnesota and then a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Illinois.
He was a professor at Iowa State University, associate lab director at Argonne National Laboratory, dean of sciences at Purdue University, and director of the Center for Computational Sciences at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, with year-long sabbaticals in Hamburg and Washington, D.C., and summers spent in Aspen, Berlin and California. He loved skiing, hiking, and traveling with his family.
In retirement, Ken was a popular figure at Springhouse Cellar Winery, which Lisa owned and managed. A master pourer, storyteller and wine connoisseur, “Papa Ken” engaged the winery clientele.
Ken and Kathleen had been living at Down Manor, where he will be missed at exercise class, singing group, and dinners.
We all miss you, Ken. Cheers!
Arrangements are under the direction of Anderson's Tribute Center • Celilo Chapel, 204 E. Fourth St., The Dalles, Ore. Visit www.AndersonsTributeCenter.com to leave a note of condolence for the family.
To plant a tree in memory of Kenneth Kliewer as a living tribute, please visit Tribute Store.
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Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
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Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.