Kenneth C. Maschka

Kenneth Charles Maschka took his first breath in Heaven on April 18th, 2023. He was lovingly surrounded by his family.

Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:30 a.m. Monday at St. Josaphat’s Catholic Church in Loup City. The Revs. Richard Piontkowski and Alex Borzych will concelebrate the Mass. Inurnment will follow in the St. Francis Catholic Cemetery in Ashton.

The service will be livestreamed on Peters Funeral Home Facebook page. The direct link for that page is www.facebook.com/PetersfuneralHomeSP.

Visitation will be Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m. at St. Josaphat’s Catholic Church with a 4 p.m. Knights of Columbus Rosary.

 Peters Funeral Home of St. Paul is assisting the family.

Memorials are suggested to the Polish Heritage Center or St. Francis Catholic Church.

 Kenny was born January 26, 1935 in Ashton to Alfonzo and Eugenia (Lukasiewicz) Maschka. He attended St. Francis Catholic School and graduated from Ashton High in 1953. After graduating, Kenny continued his education at Creighton University and Kearney State College. A man devoted to his hometown, he returned to Ashton to work in the family grocery store. In 1958, Kenny was drafted into the army and served two years in Augsburg, Germany as a personnel specialist in charge of officers’ records with the 13th Artillery. Upon returning home, he worked for the Bureau of Reclamation during the time the Sherman Lake was being built and bought Maschka’s Grocery Store from his parents.

In 1961, Kenny was united in marriage to his one true love, his Lois, Lois Kaslon. This union was blessed with five children; Therese, John, Lisa, Susie, and Jim. As a husband and father, he demonstrated a strong faith in Christ and love of family and passed that love and faith on to his children.

In 1969, Kenny and Lois purchased Thriftway Lumber in Ashton and in 1998 sold it to his daughter and son in law Therese and John Hulinsky. He stayed working for them until 2015, at which time he felt he was too young to totally retire so he reopened Maschka’s Sausage Shop, using recipes from his great grandma from Germany.

Kenny was a member of the St. Francis Parish, served on the parish council, taught CCD classes, sang in the choir with his two daughters and son for fifty-two years. He was an officer for the Ashton Community Club for many years, served as mayor of Ashton, on the fire department, school board, and a charter member of the Polish Heritage Center. 

Kenny was very proud of his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. He enjoyed attending their sporting events. He was a very grateful and talented man; a man of great faith and Christ was number one in his life. He enjoyed vacations, fishing, dancing, playing the accordion, working, and his greatest treasures, his children and grandchildren. Kenny was a faithful servant of God his whole life.

Those left to cherish his memory are his wife, Lois, daughter Therese and John Hulinsky, son John and Jane (Lewandowski) Maschka, daughter Lisa and Kirk Harrington, daughter Susie and Lance Kizer, and son Jim and Rebecca (Faulkner) Maschka; his grandchildren Alicia, Doug, Jeff, Nichelle, Megan, Justin, Mackenzie, Logan, Hannah, Sydney, Matt, Taylor, Macrae, Haley, Braden, and August; his great grandchildren Ella, Gracyn, Eli, Emerson, Asher, Rosalyn, Oliver, Laramie, and baby Hladik; niece Dona Roy and sister in law Bonnie Maschka.

He was preceded in death by his parents, brother Ereshiel, sister Dorothy, and nephews Scott and Paul Maschka

Kenny was well cared for and loved by the staff at Rose Lane Home in Loup City and the Veteran’s Home in Kearney.

Well done, well done, good and faithful servant.