Date of Birth:
Friday, May 6, 1927
Date of Death:
Wednesday, December 19, 2018
Age:
91 years old

Kenneth Otto Stock

Kenneth Otto Stock, 91, of Rochester, passed away on Wednesday, December 19, 2018 peacefully in the home he was born in.

Ken was born on May 6, 1927 in Rochester, MN to Otto and Anna (Hoffmann) Stock. He graduated from Rochester High School in 1946. After high school he was drafted into the 11th Airborne Division of the United States Army where he served for many years. He married the love of his life, Donna Mae Tushaus, on May 7, 1949 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Lake City, MN. They would have celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary in May.

Ken worked as an Orthodontic Lab Technician at the Mayo Clinic and retired in 1983 with 34 years of service. He also worked as an Orthodontic Lab Technician for The Lab in Rochester. In 1991 he started working for Park Place Motor Cars as a shuttle driver and driver coordinator until he retired at the age of 80 years old.

He loved music. He began to play drums at the age of 12 for his father’s dance band, Otto Stock’s Knights of Rhythm. He went on to play the drums for the Turkey River All Stars as well as a number of other large dance bands over the years. He also loved his family more than anything in the world. You could always find him behind the camera capturing the memories of his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. He enjoyed watching them play in the backyard and watching them splash around in the pool. He was such a family man.

Ken was also an active member of St. Francis Catholic Church, a paramedic out of the Mayo Clinic Ambulance Service, and a Scoutmaster for the Boy Scouts in Rochester as well as a volunteer for many other area organizations. In his free time, Ken loved sitting in front of his kitchen window watching the birds, squirrels, rabbits, and airplanes. He could tell you exactly what kind of airplane had just flown over by looking at its vapor trail. It was also very important to Ken to visit the Rochester Firefighters Memorial at Silver Lake every year as he was the ambulance driver who assisted on December 24, 1953 when two firefighters passed away while trying to save a nine year old boy who fell through the ice.

Ken is survived by his wife of 69 years, Donna of Rochester, MN; his two daughters, Pat (Bruce) Kalmes of Andover, MN, and Diana (James) Prescott of Spring Hill, TN; his six sons, Jim (Debbie) Stock of Deer Park, WA, Kenny (Sandy) Stock of Rochester, MN, Bob (Rose) Stock of Fresno, CA, Bill (Frankie) Stock of Claremore, OK, Tom Stock of Rochester, MN, and Chuck (Jenny) Stock of Andover, MN; his 33 grandchildren, and 22 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, Anna and Otto Stock; his sister, Rita Frutiger; and his grandson, Scott Loren Kalmes.

Memorial Mass will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 12, 2019 at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the church. The burial will be at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in Ken’s name to a charity of your choice.

Online condolences are welcome at www.mackenfuneralhome.com.