Wayne John Kahle of Hazel Green, age 82, died peacefully on Dec. 13, 2016. A visitation was held at the Cathedral of St. Raphael, 231 Bluff Street in Dubuque, on Monday, Dec. 19 from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. Mass was held at 12 noon. Military Honors were conducted by the Dubuque Marine Corps League following Mass at the Cathedral. Additional information and a “Book of Memories” can be found at the Egelhof, Siegert & Casper Funeral Home website www.egelhofsiegertcasper.com.
The family requests in lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Wayne’s memory to Mayo Clinic, Hospice of Dubuque, Camp Courageous or the Cathedral of St. Raphael.
Wayne loved life, his wife and family, and his faith. He was born in Dubuque, where he lived until he was 10 years old. He moved to Kieler, where his parents, Ben and Mabel Kahle, owned and operated the Kall Inn Tavern and Dance Hall.
He attended grade school at Holy Trinity in Dubuque followed by Immaculate Conception in Kieler. He attended Loras Academy and graduated from Cuba City High School in Cuba City, in 1952, where he lettered in football and baseball.
After high school, he joined the United States Navy Reserve and worked at the Dubuque Packing Company. Wayne then served on active duty in the U.S. Navy aboard the USS New Jersey, BB-62, an Iowa-class battleship. Working in the engineering office he travelled to ports all over the world after the peace agreement ending the Korean War.
After his military service, Wayne worked at the Dubuque Stamp Company and went into partnership operating the Kall Inn Tavern, located in southwest Wisconsin, with his father and mother until their deaths in 1964 and 1965, respectively.
In November 1959, Wayne married the love of his life, the former Mary Margaret Taylor, in Holy Cross, Iowa. Together they raised a family of five children, while owning and operating the Kall Inn Supper Club. The Kall Inn was well known for its fine food, friends and cocktails. Wayne always greeted everyone with a smile, always remembered their name, offered jokes and stories, as only a good bartender could.
Wayne, just as his father had, was elected and served many years as a state director representing Grant and Iowa counties in the Wisconsin Tavern League. He raised money for Wisconsin Badger Camp as part of his activity in this organization.
Wayne enjoyed sports and was an avid golfer. In his earlier years, he hunted and fished. Over the years, Wayne and Mary sponsored sports teams including bowling, basketball, horseshoe, baseball, fastpitch and slowpitch softball, men and women’s teams alike, and organized many golf tournaments. He organized events for his customers, which included bus trips to Iowa-Wisconsin games and other sporting events, trips and cruises. His years of dedication to sports were recognized with his induction into the Dubuque Sports Hall of Fame in 1991.
Wayne is survived by his loving wife of 57 years, Mary, their five children: Lisa (Edward) Kruska of Alexandria, Va., Kim Kahle of Dubuque, Jayne (Eric) Petersen of Peosta, Iowa, Thomas (Amy) Kahle of Dripping Springs, Tex. and Sara (David) Jones of St. Paul, Minn. and their 10 grandchildren: Meghan, Zachary, Victoria, Taylor, Penelope, Noah, Samantha, Alexander, Seth and Joshua.
Additional family include his sister, Bernadine Weiderholt of Kieler, brothers-in-law Raymond (Joan) Taylor of Dubuque, John (Barb) Taylor of Holy Cross, Iowa, James Taylor, and Paul (Sue) Taylor of Zwingle, Iowa, and his sisters-in-law Agnes Kahle of Hazel Green, Helen (John “Scotty”) Thomas of San Francisco, Calif., Jane (Ken) Rausch of Knoxville, Tenn., Bridget (Robert) Kluesner of Owatonna, Minn., Patricia (Mike) Theis of Peosta, Mary Taylor of Oviedo, Fla., Lois Taylor and Karolyn Taylor of Dyersville, Iowa and many cousins, nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Bernard “Ben” and Mabel (Vogt) Kahle, his in-laws Francis “Zack” and Dorothy (Rea) Taylor, his older brothers Gene and Lowell Kahle, his younger sister Nancy Rae Kahle, his in-laws Gene Weiderholt, Frank Taylor, Charles Taylor, Joseph Taylor, Duane “Red” Even and Marie Taylor.
The family wishes to extend their heartfelt appreciation to all their family and friends for all the wonderful visits, kindness and thoughtful generosity. In addition, the family is grateful for the friendship of all the winter Texans. Thank you to the University of Iowa Medical School staff who worked with the family to arrange a whole body donation to help with research and education. Thanks also to Hospice of Dubuque, Dr. Eugene Kwon, Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., Dr. Honoria Caceres, Sr. Sharon and Msgr. Tom Toale.
