Obituary of Kenneth John Lamb

Kenneth John Lamb Sr., 61, of Newton went to be with the Lord on Monday, Jan. 3, 2011, at his home in Newton. A funeral service will be at 1 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 6, at the Newton Foursquare Church, 1510 S. Eighth Ave. E., with the Rev. Dottie Black and the Rev. Dustin Black officiating. Visitation with the family will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Pence-Reese Funeral Home in Newton. Burial will be at Union Cemetery in Newton with military honors. A luncheon will follow at the Pence-Reese Tribute Center. Memorials may be designated in his name or to the Newton Foursquare Church and may be left at the funeral home. Ken was born on April 11, 1949, in Newton to John Thomas and Mary Laverna (Witte) Lamb. He was the third of seven children and attended country school at Mariposa #9 and later attended Newton Senior High School. He served his country in the U.S. Army from 1969 to 1971, during which time he was stationed in Korea. After returning home to Newton, he met and was united in marriage to Deena Rae Walker on Nov. 26, 1971, in Newton. To this union, three children were born: Kenny Jr., Mandi and Tabitha. The family was completed with the adoption of Jamie and Kylie Lamb on May 4, 1998. Ken was employed at Midwest Manufacturing in Kellogg, where he was a supervisor, for 40 years. His life changed dramatically after he accepted Jesus as his Savior and Lord in March of 1980. Ken enjoyed being with his church family; attending tractor shows; taking vacations with his family, especially to the Black Hills; watching sports, especially the Miami Dolphins; fixing things for his family; and spending time with his wife, children and grandchildren. He retired in 2008 and enjoyed the opportunity to spend even more time with his family. He was a member of the Newton Foursquare Church and was a lifetime member of the VFW. Ken is survived by his wife, Deena; his sons, Kenny and Jamie; his daughters, Mandi, Tabitha and Kylie; his grandchildren, Kendi, K.J. III and Austin of Newton and Daphne and Ezekiel of Knoxville; his brothers, Etmer Lamb of Ojai, Calif., Dan Lamb of Newton, Ron Lamb of Des Moines and Jim (Linda) Lamb of Reasnor; his sisters, Vi "Pip" (Pete) Hildreth of Des Moines and Linda Massengale of Brooklyn; his mother-in-law, Ramah Walker of Newton; his sister-in-laws, Alice (Bill) Pendleton and Judy (Dave) Shedlock, all of Newton; his brother-in-law, Chuck (Linda) Walker of Newton; and many nieces, nephews, cousins, friends and his church family. He was preceded in death by his parents and his father-in-law, Ivan Walker.