Mildred Lorena Kletke

Funeral services for Mildred Brunken Kletke will be held at Zion Lutheran Church in Alva, Oklahoma, on Monday, June 30, at 2:00 pm. Visitation will be held at the Marshall Funeral Home that morning from 10 – 12. Interment will be in the Zion Lutheran Cemetery under the direction of Marshall Funeral Home of Alva. Mildred Brunken Kletke, née Mildred Lorena Brunken, was born on March 15, 1920, to Clara Petersen Brunken and William L. Brunken in Lahoma, Oklahoma. She passed away on June 26, 2014, in Jefferson City, Mo., at the age of 94 years. She was the youngest child in her family and had two brothers, Alvin and Harold, and two sisters, Hilda and Leona. The family were members of Zion Lutheran Church in Lahoma, and Mildred was baptized there. She attended the Lutheran School in Lahoma. After she graduated in 1938, she attended Northwestern State College in Alva, studying to be a teacher. She attended Zion Lutheran Church in Alva, and there she met Martin Walter Kletke, the love of her life. They were married on October 13, 1940, and lived on the family farm east of Alva where Martin had been born and raised. They were members of Zion Lutheran Church in Alva. Mildred and Martin were blessed with three children: Darrel, Janice, and Phillip. Over the years Mildred was a wonderful home manager, and supported her husband and the family farming and ranching activities. She used her talents to paint china, ceramics, and oil paintings. She made many quilts, and crocheted many items. The Church was the center of her life. She was active in the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League for many years, holding different offices. Many of the spiritual banners she made for worship still hang in the Church; and her crocheted puppets have been used in Sunday school for many years. In addition to her church activities, she served on the Hospital Auxiliary, and earned an award for having served for over 3,000 hours. In 1999 she and Martin retired from farming and moved to The Homestead in Alva, where they lived for five years before moving to Jefferson City, Mo., in 2004. Mildred was preceded in death by her parents and her four siblings and their spouses; her daughter-in-law Linda Kletke, Phillip Kletke’s wife; and her brother-in-law Roland Kletke. Mildred is survived by her three children and spouses: Darrel Kletke and his wife Meg of Stillwater, OK; Janice Sonnenberg and her husband Gary of Jefferson City, MO; and Phillip Kletke of Chicago, IL. Additionally she is survived by her sister-in-law, Mickey Kletke of Alva, OK; and seven grandchildren and their spouses: Lyn and Al Putnam of Stillwater, OK; Deana and Bill Wright of Edmond, OK; Martin and Paige Sonnenberg of Valparaiso, IN; Bryan and Gayle Hedrick of Tuttle, OK; Marc and Angela Kletke of Moore, OK; Doug and Jenn Sonnenberg of Columbia, MO; and Laura Hedrick of Stillwater, OK. She is survived by 12 great grandchildren; many nephews and nieces; and other relatives and friends. Memorial contributions may be made to Zion Lutheran Church in Alva, OK (218 Maple St., Alva, OK 73717); or to an organization of the donor’s choice.

Mildred Lorena Kletke

March 15, 1920 - June 26, 2014