Thomas Lloyd Koehn was born to Henry A. and Susie (Kahn) Koehn on October 14, 1930, in Grant County, Kansas. He quietly passed away on January 5, 2026, surrounded by his family, reaching 95 years of age.
Dad was the first of eleven children. When he was only four years old, he, along with his two-year-old brother, Bob, and six-month-old sister, Juanita, lost their mother, leaving Grandpa Henry with three motherless children. On January 20, 1935, Adeline Koehn became their loving mother.
During a set of revival meetings in 1945, Dad and his brother, Bob, both showed their decision to serve God, and on June 3, 1945, they were baptized into the Church of God in Christ, Mennonite, by minister Albert Unruh. He was faithful to these vows until the end. We remember Dad as a man of integrity, conviction, and principle. He was keenly aware of his failings and his need of a Saviour. He taught us by example the language of genuine compassion and forgiveness. He had a quiet strength that undergirded us in the storms of life. He made worshipping with God’s people a priority.
In 1953, Dad was drafted and went to Larned, Kansas, for his 1W service, working in the dairy division of the Larned State Hospital. While there, on November 20, 1953, he married our mother, Bernice Redger. Mom immediately became the cook for the rest of the boys in service. While there, their first son, Everett, was born. After giving their time in service, Dad moved his little family to a small house a mile east of the Ryus carbon black plant. Then, in 1957, they moved to the farm we all remember as the home place. Here, four more children were born: Ronnie, who lived only a few hours, La Donna, Calvin, and Darvin.
Our mother, Bernice, passed away in September 1999, just as fall harvest was starting. Our neighbors pulled their combines into Dad’s fields and finished his harvest. Dad’s faith and joy were put to the test, but he faithfully carried on with life. Three years later, he found someone to love and share life with, and on July 28, 2002, he married Miss Ruth Toews in Scio, Oregon. She completely embraced life on the plains of Kansas, Dad’s family became hers, and her family became his. Mom Ruth enriched Dad’s life as they lived, loved, and served in so many ways: traveling, hosting family gatherings, and opening their home in hospitality, to name just a few.
Dad’s upbringing through the Dirty Thirties impacted his entire life. He was frugal and found it hard to throw things away. He was often found with a shovel in his hand. He was known to take on trenching projects by hand with his special shovel. The grandchildren remember him working by the sweat of his brow. Dad found great satisfaction in growing crops. He was content with what God gave him, and found joy in sharing. The spiritual and natural well-being of all of us children and grandchildren was important to him. We knew that Dad prayed for each one of us in our need. We loved his heartfelt prayers with a hearty “Amen” at the end.
There was yet one more great sorrow in Dad’s life. In 2014, his only daughter, LaDonna, passed away. Surely today they are rejoicing together.
In 2020, Dad and Mom Ruth sold the farmhouse to a grandson and moved to a small retirement home in East Hickok. They enjoyed life here for four years. His next move was to Bethel Home and Mom Ruth to a nearby apartment. We are deeply grateful to the Bethel Home staff for the excellent care they gave him.
We will all miss the loving husband, kind father, caring grandpa, and gracious friend he was to all of us, and hope to meet him again.
He leaves his wife, Ruth; sons Everett and Gail, Ulysses, Kansas, Calvin and Debra, Thomas, Oklahoma; Darvin and Lisa, Satanta, Kansas; son-in-law Tony and Adrienne Wedel, Texhoma, Texas; nineteen grandchildren, and forty-nine great-grandchildren; brothers Glen, Russell and Winona, and Dale and MaryBeth; sisters Inez Yost, JoAnn and Milton Nichols, and Deloris Giesbrecht; in-laws Elva Koehn, Ben and Joyce Jantz, and his beloved Redger and Toews family.
He was predeceased by his parents and stepmother, first wife, son, daughter, grandson, brother, and three sisters.
Funeral service will be Sunday, January 11, 2026, at 10:30 AM at the Grant Mennonite Church in rural Grant County with Ministers Stuart Jantzen, Daniel Schmidt, Ron Ensz and Karlan Koehn officiating. Interment will follow at the Grant Mennonite Cemetery. Visitation will be Saturday, January 10, 2026, from 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM at Garnand Funeral Home in Ulysses. Memorial contributions may be given to Sleepy Creek Boys Camp in care of Garnand Funeral Home, 405 W. Grant Ave, Ulysses, KS 67880. Condolences may be posted at www.garnandfuneralhomes.com.