Kenneth "Ken" Pahnke

- Kenneth ‘Ken’ Pahnke, a good man and Christian, died Saturday February 22, 2020 at his Ashwaubenon home. Ken was born on July 14, 1933 in Bellevue WI, the youngest son of George and Lillian (Baumann) Pahnke.

Ken was raised in Pine Grove, WI on the family farm which didn’t have running water until he was age ten. After Pine Grove elementary and Green Bay East high school he served in the US Army from June 1953 through May1955 as a teletype operator with the Army Signal Corps. Pretty boring duty except when you are twenty years old, stationed in the Pacific at Bikini Atoll, witnessing six high-yield nuclear tests. Upon discharge he returned to Green Bay with his pregnant wife and provided for his family working 36 years at Fort Howard Paper Company.

Ken loved sports, playing sheepshead and cribbage, participating in hunting, tennis, and as he grew older, bowling and golf. He was an avid Packers fan and season ticket holder from even before the team moved its games to Lambeau Field. Of the 250,000+ people who claim to have attended the Ice Bowl; he was actually there. He enjoyed the Brewers, Bucks, and Badger basketball on TV.

Ken is survived by his wife of sixty-five years, Barbara (Lindquist); his son, Al (Suamico), daughter-in-law, Barbara, and their two sons Troy (Quebec TN) and Chad (Wilmette IL). Chad and his wife Jenna carry on the family line with Ken’s three great-grandchildren Charlie, Nicholas, and Lucas. Ken’s eldest son, Dan, resides in Tallahassee FL.

Ken was preceded in death by his parents, his brothers, Harlan and Alden and their wives, and a daughter-in-law, Jende.

Visitation will be held on Thursday, February 27, 2020, at Lyndahl Funeral Home, 1350 Lombardi Avenue from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. and will continue Friday, February 28, 2020 at St. Mark Evangelical Lutheran Church, 1167 Kenwood Drive, from 10:00 a.m. until the service at 11:00 a.m. with the Rev. Ben Workentine officiating. Burial will be at Fort Howard Memorial Gardens.

The family extends its grateful thanks and praise to the Unity Hospice visiting staff for the compassionate care, support, and guidance they provided during the last chapter of Ken’s life.

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