Claire Jean Kohn, 88, of Wayne, died Sunday, Sept. 27, 2020 at Hillcrest Care Center in Laurel.
Mass Of Christian Burial will be held Friday, Oct. 2 at 10:30 a.m. at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Wayne. Fr. Jeff Mollner will officiate. Visitation will be held Thursday, Oct. 1 from 4 to 6 p.m. at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Wayne with a vigil service at 6 p.m. Burial will be in Greenwood Cemetery in Wayne.
Memorials may be directed to the Kohn family for later designation.
Arrangements are with Hasemann Funeral Home of Wayne.
Claire Jean Kohn was born July 16, 1932 in the farm home northeast of Tipton, Kansas to Nicholas and Madeline (Matheis) Schmitt, the third of seven children. She graduated from Tipton High School in 1950. Claire Jean’s mother passed away when she was 17 years old. She then took the responsibility of helping raise her younger siblings, helping with farm work as well as continuing her education. She remained home a few years before moving to Beloit, Kansas to work at the Ford Dealership. Claire Jean married Alex Kohn on May 14, 1955 at St. Boniface Catholic Church in Tipton, Kansas where they were parishioners during their early years. The couple lived in Tipton and later moved to Abilene, Kansas where Alex worked as a farm/ranch hand. In October of 1963 they purchased a farm near Guide Rock, Nebraska where they lived for 32 years and Claire Jean helped cook at the school there.
Claire Jean worked at Alex’s side helping with the milking, the stock herd, farrowing and raising hogs as well as taking care of the farm. She was a true partner with Alex in everything to build a prosperous life for their family. She was always busy, always working hard on everything needed to raise a family and make the farm a happy home prosperous. Claire Jean always raised a large garden which meant lots of canning and delicious meals. Along with raising her children, she was the care taker of Alex’s mother for 16 years. Her hands were seldom idle as she loved to bake, especially bread and rolls, embroidering many tea towels and quilts that are prized keepsakes for her grandchildren.
In October of 1996, the couple retired and moved to Wayne. In Wayne they made new friends and were active members of St. Mary’s Catholic Church. For the past several years Claire Jean resided at Hillcrest Care Center in Laurel. Claire Jean was a past member of St. Boniface Catholic Church in Tipton, KS, Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Red Cloud and at present St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Wayne. Later in life she loved quilting with her friends at the senior center. She enjoyed traveling and wanted to do more in retirement than circumstances allowed.
Survivors include her children, Stanley (Kathleen) Kohn of Concordia, Kansas, Gary (Susan) Kohn of Wilmette, Illinois, Jeff (Annette) Kohn of Lincoln, Jeanne (Kerry) Keifer of Belden; 13 grandchildren; one step-granddaughter; a brother, Richard (Carolyn) Schmitt of Cawker City, Kansas; a sister, Maxine (Ray) Bannister of San Lorenzo, California; sister-in-law, Phyllis Schmitt of Tipton, Kansas; nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Alex in 2008; one step-grandson, Bruce Peterson; brothers, Ralph (Laurine) Schmitt and Harry Schmitt; sisters, Marylene (Leo) Cordel and Lois (Robert) Gengler.
Honorary pallbearers will be Claire Jean’s grandchildren.
Active pallbearers will be Nicholas Kohn, Maximilian Kohn, Augustine Kohn, Blaise Kohn, Jacob Butcher and Michael Rotherham.
