Ken Kube

Ken Kube, of Thief River Falls, MN, passed away on Monday, May 20, 2024 at the Thief River Care Center in Thief River Falls, MN, at the age of 83.

A Memorial Service will be held at 3:00 PM on Wednesday, May 22, 2024 at Gosen Church, 23482 390th St. SE, McIntosh, MN, with Pastor Gary Johnson officiating. Visitation will take place one hour prior to the memorial service.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 11:00 AM on Friday, May 31, 2024 at St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church, 900 Stillwater Rd., Mahtomedi, MN. Visitation will take place one hour prior to the Celebration of Life Service.

Kenneth (Ken) Harold Kube was born June 3, 1940, to Alvin Harold Kube and Edith Marie Kube (Gauger) in St Paul MN.

Ken grew up on St Paul’s West side and graduated from Humboldt High School in 1958. During High School he played hockey and got to travel the state of Minnesota. On his ventures up north in those days, he said they lost many games to the great hockey teams of northern MN.

Ken went on to go the University of MN and worked as a draftsman. He was part of the team that designed Alvin- a deep sea submersible that went on to discover the Titanic. On a family trip he took his kids to Woods Hole Institute in Massachusetts to find the sub gone to sea (our own version of Family Vacation).

Ken suffered from horrible stuttering and tried to find jobs that he would not need to talk to anyone. One day in his 20’s he was told that if he was ever going to kick the stuttering, he needed to find a job that depended on his ability to talk. So, Ken started cold call selling life insurance door to door. This was just what was needed to open the flow of speech (some would argue it never turned off). He went on to be a multi-Million Dollar producer for Lutheran Mutual/ CUNA. He started his own agency and mentored many others and was very successful because of his near photographic memory and the ability to remember people’s names and important things about them.

In 1989 he was convicted of mail fraud and was sentenced to 22 months at the Duluth prison. Ken took this as a sign to change the direction of his life. He spoke to others about what led him to this spot and got very involved with Prison Fellowship. He had the opportunity to travel, but still called MN home. He was often found sitting and talking, helping others when he could. He had a strong relationship with many Amish and liked their simpler life and would often give them rides and take them to appointments. He has even had the opportunity to join in on some barn raisings and truly enjoyed that.

He was married to Karen Lamp May 5, 1968, and had two children- Eric and Sara. Their marriage was dissolved in 1990.

He was very proud of both of his children and would often speak of them with great pride and passion.

He is proceeded in death by his mother and father and only sister- Carol Kube

He is survived by his children, Eric (Amy)Kube, Sara Kube; grand-children Jake, Lucy, Addison and Megan Kube; his ex-wife, Karen Matheney; and long term companion, Dee Dee Miller.

In Ken’s life he has led church youth groups, mined for gold, owned and raced horses, hunted and fished, served as Mayor of West St Paul, loved to ride his bar stool go-kart, traveled, built office buildings, homes and restaurants; taking adventures with his dog (like their trip to Alaska in a van with 230,000 miles on it); he has sold insurance, garage doors, bathrooms and cars; was a passionate man of Minnesota sports and had the opportunity to work with the Vikings, Twins, and MN Wild; loved to visit the Texas hill country.

In Ken’s last year he was blessed to be living at the Thief River Care Center. He was cared for graciously and kindly – Many thank you go to all the staff! He took time to get to know the other residents there and would ask residents and staff alike if they knew Jesus and would share his faith.

No matter where Ken called home, he would work extra hard to get involved, meet his neighbors, and join a church family. Within a very short time everyone knew who he was, and he would know all of their names, what they did and what they needed help with. He was the first to step up and help and to recruit others to help when needed. His Heart was great, and he shared his faith in Jesus far and wide.

A very special thank you for the family that adopted him as an honorary grandfather – Thank you Lori, Pat, Shandi, Kinsley and Mathew. Thank you for caring for him and bringing him into your family.

Ken’s journey on this earth now is done, many were blessed by the intersection of their lives with his. He told many jokes and the lucky ones even got to hold his stool sample! We surely hope heaven is ready for your passion, work ethic and sense of humor. Maybe the angels will not notice when you play your harmonica a bit off key!