Obituary of Kenneth W. Rolf

Kenneth W. Rolf of Minneapolis, Minn., passed away on July 10, 2018, at age 71. Born March 24, 1947, to Werner and Mabel Rolf (Sonnenberg), Ken grew up on the family farm in Hancock Township, MN. As a child, he was an active member of 4-H and once brought a short horn cow to the Minnesota State Fair. Ken was confirmed at Zion Lutheran Church in 1961. He was salutatorian of his graduating class from Belle Plaine High School in 1965. After high school, he attended St. Olaf College where he was an active member of Alpha Phi Omega, a service fraternity dedicated to volunteerism. He frequently operated the movie projector on movie nights, and also worked at the college radio station, WCAL, as a sound engineer. Ken met his first wife, Ruth at St. Olaf, and they were married in 1969. They had two children, Shannon and Nathan. Later, following his divorce to Ruth, he married his second wife, Juanita, who had four children from a previous marriage, Chuck, Jeff, Jason, and Amy. Some of Ken’s favorite activities with his family were camping and canoeing. He especially enjoyed vacationing with his family on Madeline Island, located on Lake Superior, where the family would pick wild raspberries, swim, and explore the island with bikes. Ken had a special talent for photography and took many beautiful photos while on vacations and camping trips. An insurance agent by trade, Ken’s true passion was his volunteer service with Y’s Men International and his local community. He was always willing to lend a hand to those in need. He served with the Y’s Mens for more than 40 years, selling Christmas trees, fundraising for YMCA summer camps, and providing maintenance services to Camp Kici Yapi. Ken traveled and participated in several Y’s Men Conventions along with his second wife, Juanita. They traveled to Singapore, Norway, Hawaii, Cambodia, Hong Kong, and Western Africa. Ken and Juanita also sponsored a Cambodian family for a period of time, providing support and assistance to them as refugees. When Ken wasn’t volunteering with the Y’s Men, he was a devoted and active member of several Bible study groups located throughout the Twin Cities area. Published on July 19, 2018