Kenneth Warren Krenik

Kenneth W. Krenik, 79 yrs. of the Lake Washington area died peacefully at home on September 21, 2025 after a three-year battle with cancer. He was born on July 1, 1946 to Delford & Adeline (Fahning) Krenik in St. Peter and grew up on the family farm on the north side of Lake Washington. Ken married Sandy Witty from St. Peter on September 9, 1967 and together they had three children: Michelle, Julie and Tim.

He attended school in Cleveland, MN and graduated in 1964. In high school Ken was the Homecoming King, received the Androli Award and lettered in four sports. Ken excelled in basketball and football and as a senior earned All State honorable mention in football. In his younger years he enjoyed waterskiing, playing baseball for Elysian and fast pitch softball in St. Peter for Norseland and the Flame Bar.

Ken attended the U of MN, St. Paul campus, for one year and graduated in 1968 from Mankato State with a bachelor’s degree in health and physical education. After teaching for one year in Zumbrota, MN, Sandy and he went back to farm on the home place by Lake Washington. He crop farmed until 1993 and raised hogs for 40 years before retiring in 2010. Then he worked as a Crop Hail Adjuster for several years and did seasonal mowing for the city of St. Peter.

Ken coached Junior high boys’ basketball for several years, Girls’ Varsity Basketball for 6 years and boys’ varsity basketball for 2 years at Cleveland High School. In 1989 he did the layout design and developed the softball fields in Cleveland that are still used today.

Ken was very active in the Cleveland Church of Christ where he was a deacon and willingly served the Lord where there was a need. He was a patriot who loved his country and was a committed Republican who put up hundreds of political signs for candidates over the years. He served on the Washington Township Board as Clerk for 20 years, the Farm Bureau Board and belonged to Pork Producers and the NRA.

In his later years he enjoyed reading after a chance meeting with his 6th grade teacher who ignited his love for reading. His favorite author was Louis L'Amour. Ken enjoyed time on the lake, playing cards and camping, especially in the Ely area, when his kids were younger. He loved deer hunting every fall and prairie dog hunting every spring in South Dakota for over 30 years. He was knowledgeable about rifles and enjoyed helping people find their perfect firearms and optics. Ken was a vendor at many gun shows over the years.

Ken is survived by wife Sandy, daughters Michelle (Shon) Smith of St. Peter, Julie (Tony) Dittrich of North Mankato and son Tim (Stephanie Priesz) Krenik of Sioux Falls, SD; grandchildren Zach and Emma Smith, Isabella, Max and Sam Krenik and Zac and Josh Dittrich; sisters - Kareen (Lee) Daby of Lake Washington and Norma Lindhart of Austin, MN; brothers-in-law Bob (Joanne) Witty and Richard – Buz (Marlene) Witty of St. Peter, Jim (Joan) Witty of New Prague and sisters-in-law Nancy Krenik of Lake Washington, Darlyne Schilling of New Brighton, Marilyn Witty and Jeanne Witty of St. Peter and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Lauris, brothers-in-law Robert Lindhart, George Witty, Tom Witty and Roger Schilling.

A Funeral Service will be held at 11:00 AM on Saturday, October 18, 2025, at Cleveland Church of Christ in Cleveland, MN. Visitation will take place at the church on Friday, October 17, from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM, and one hour prior to the service. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Cleveland Church of Christ, the Cleveland School Booster Club or to cancer research.

The family would like to express their heartfelt gratitude to the doctors and nurses and especially the wonderful staff in the Infusion Department at Mayo Hospital in Mankato and the staff at St. Croix Hospice for their compassionate care of Ken.