Donald Edward "Killer" Koehn

1923 - 2015

Donald Edward "Killer" Koehn, 91, of Waverly, died early Tuesday morning, June 30, 2015, at his home of natural causes.
Don was born on Dec. 11, 1923, in Lansing, Ill., the son of Edward and Martha (Dockweiler) Koehn. He was baptized at Trinity Lutheran Church, Lansing, and confirmed in 1937 at the same church. Don attended the Trinity Lutheran Parochial one-room school house through the eighth grade. He then attended the Thornton Fractional Township High School, Calumet, Ill., where he played football, ran track, played trumpet in the school band, served as drill master for the marching band, and where he graduated valedictorian of his 1941 class. Don received an academic scholarship to attend the University of Illinois, where he studied for the next year and a half before entering the U.S. Army during World War II. Following his honorable discharge on April 29, 1946, he returned to Illinois and enrolled at Valparaiso University, where he played football and baseball. Don holds a batting title and the Valparaiso record for the longest kickoff return. Don graduated from Valparaiso on June 20, 1948, and that same day he was united in marriage to his college sweetheart, Natalee Oltmann. The couple made their home in Lansing, Ill., where Don began his career in the life insurance profession with Metropolitan Life. In 1951, he was transferred to Toledo, Ohio. In 1953, he began working for Lutheran Mutual Life Insurance Company in Davenport. In 1958, Don was transferred to Minneapolis to develop a field sales organization for the State of Minnesota. In 1960, he accepted the challenge of regional vice president for the states of North and South Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Natalee died in 1963, following a brave battle with cancer. On Feb. 27, 1965, he married Shirley J. Janssen in Minneapolis. In August 1973, Don and Shirley moved to Waverly, where Don became the vice president of agency development for Lutheran Mutual/Century Companies (now known as CUNA), a position he held until his retirement on October 1, 1986.
Don was a faithful and active member of St. John Lutheran Church in Waverly. Don received his volunteer training in 1986 with Cedar Valley Hospice, where he was named Volunteer of the Year in 2003.
Don is survived by his wife, Shirley Koehn of Waverly, his three daughters and one son, Donna (Matt) Moore, of Carlisle, Martha Martinez, of Carlisle, Sherri Mischler, of San Diego, and Peter (Connie) Koehn, of Hugo, Minn.; eight grandchildren, Tyrone Koehn, Natalee Blakely, Travis Koehn, Amber Shipp, Taylor and Jordan Mischler, John and Joe Koehn; 15 great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren. Don was preceded in death by his parents, Edward and Martha; and his first wife, Natalee; his grandson, Ben; and his sister and brother-in-law, Lila and Richard Valdivia.
Funeral services will be held on Monday, July 6, 2015, at 10:30 a.m. at St. John Lutheran Church in Waverly, with the Rev. Matthew Versemann officiating. Burial will be in Harlington Cemetery in Waverly, with military graveside rites conducted by the Waverly Area Veterans Honor Guard. Public visitation will be held on Sunday from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Kaiser-Corson Funeral Home in Waverly and also for an hour prior to services on Monday at the church. Memorials may be directed to St. John Lutheran Church or Cedar Valley Hospice. Online condolences for Don's family may be left at www.kaisercorson.com. Kaiser-Corson Funeral Home in Waverly is assisting the family.