Oliver Kenneth Meininger's Obituary
Ken Meininger was born on December 1, 1952 in Lincoln, Nebraska to Christiane and Oliver Meininger and passed away on May 5, 2003. Ken graduated from Ohio University in 1978. Ken married Debra Knesal on July 29, 1989 and with joy welcomed their daughter, Olivia Knesal-Meininger, born on June 12, 1991. For 17 years Ken taught children with developmental disabilities at McIlvaigh Middle School in Tacoma and at Puyallup High School before joining the Washington State Judicial Information System as a Learning Specialist in 1995.Ken was a gentle, loving and devoted husband, father, son and friend. He will be remembered for his dry wit, ready humor, and his love of entertaining. He had a zest for life and a talent for bringing people together for good times. He loved to serve, always putting the needs of others before his own. Ken was always a teacher, unselfishly sharing his knowledge and gifts with family, friends and colleagues. He was a member of Life Center of Tacoma, Council for Exceptional Children, and for 15 years a Special Olympics Coach.He is survived by his wife, Debra and daughter, Olivia of the family home in Tacoma; his parents, Oliver and Christiane Meininger of Georgetown, TX; his grandmother, Anne Mary Lithe of Ft. Worth, TX; his brother, Steve of Rowlette, TX; his brother, Rik and wife Ana of Simi Valley, CA. He will be missed by many other family members and friends.Debra and Olivia wish to thank all KenÂ's friends, family, and health care providers who have shown such support during KenÂ's long illness.Internment will be on Friday, May 9th, at 11:30 am, at Mt. View Memorial Park. A celebration of KenÂ's life will be at 2:00 p.m. at Life Center of Tacoma. Memorials may be made to the Multiple Myeloma Association, Research Foundation, 3 Forest Street, New Canaan, CT 06840.
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