Matt's Genealogy Blog: The Passing of Ken Panther

Saturday, April 16, 2022

The Passing of Ken Panther

I got word that my oldest cousin, Ken "Doc" Panther passed away this past Thursday. I always knew him as "Kenny". There's over a 20 year age difference between us so we didn't hang out but he was always up for a friendly conversation. Being the first grandchild of Grandma and Grandpa Panther, there were a lot of pictures of him in his early years. His 46th wedding anniversary was on Monday. He was diagnosed with very aggressive lung cancer on Tuesday and he passed away on Thursday.

Here is is obituary.

Kenneth A. “Doc” Panther, 77, of West Point, Iowa, passed away at 2:04 p.m. Thursday, April 14, 2022, at Mercy Hospital in Iowa City, Iowa.

He was born on September 15, 1944, in Fort Madison, Iowa, the son of Albert Edward and Edna M. (Holtkamp) Panther. On April 11, 1970, he married Mary Lynn Fedler at St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church in West Point.

Survivors include his wife: Mary Lynn; daughter: Heidi (Brian) Kanealy of Cedar Rapids; son: Ed (Jen) Panther of North Liberty; two granddaughters: Emma and Jillian Panther; sister: M.J. (Stan) Boeding of West Point; five brothers: Tony (Nancy) Panther of West Point, Mike (Linda) Panther of Fort Madison, Don Panther of West Point, Bill Panther of West Point and Bernie (Karen) Panther of Winfield, Missouri; stepbrothers and sisters: Bob (Sharon) Fullenkamp, B.J. (George) Gay, Joe (Karen) Fullenkamp, Jeff (Sue Kruse) Fullenkamp, Ann (Ted Abhalat) Shambo and sisters and brothers-in-law: Jane Panther, Joan (Harold) Holtkamp and Larry Fedler. Also surviving are several nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents; step-father: Glenn Fullenkamp; two brothers: Larry and Karl Panther; two sisters-in-law: Jeannie and Cindy Panther.

Kenny was a 1963 graduate of St. John’s Catholic High School. He served in the United States Army during the Vietnam era. He was a mechanic for twenty-five years. He then did plant maintenance at Arctic Glacier and went on to retire as an electrician from Mohrfeld Electric. There wasn’t very much that he couldn’t fix. Kenny was a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church and the West Point American Legion Holtz - Geers Post #668. He was an avid Iowa Hawkeye fan. He enjoyed golfing, working in his garden, working on his 1969 Mercury Cyclone CJ and most of all, spending time with his family.