The region of Michigan’s Great Southwest has lost a fiery entrepreneur who was always in search of ways to make life better for everyone around him even as illness was slowly taking him away. Ken Wuerfel of St. Joseph celebrated his 56th birthday less than a month ago, and sadly now he is gone.
The highly successful local businessman died peacefully yesterday, Sunday, May 28th, at the Merlin & Carolyn Hanson Hospice Center in Stevensville surrounded by family and friends who also assured a couple of weeks ago that he could venture out one last time to the Blossomtime Grand Floral Parade in all of its glory.
Wuerfel was originally from Grand Rapids, and graduated from Greenville High School with the Class of 1979 before venturing off to Ferris State College where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Printing Management in 1984.
After working for several printing companies in the Chicagoland area and in Indiana, Ken landed a job with Imperial Printing Company of St. Joseph in 1991 and the region became his home forever more. By 2008 the siren call of entrepreneurship was too strong to withstand any longer and Ken joined his wife Julie in their Cleaning Authority franchise business. Three years later they sold that franchise and launched an award-winning franchise as the first Mosquito Squad business in the state of Michigan.
Ken and Julie were married in 1998 and together they raised their daughter Rosie who is now attending college. As a family, they enjoyed camping, golfing, vacations, gymnastics & cheer events, church gatherings and community activities. Ken was a member of the St. Joseph/Benton Harbor Rotary Club, Gideon’s, various golf leagues, and First Church of God in St. Joseph.
A Celebration of Life Service will be held on Wednesday, May 31, 2017, at 11:00am, at Starks & Menchinger Chapel, 2650 Niles Road in St. Joseph, with Rev. Bob Confer officiating. Burial will follow at Spring Run Cemetery. Friends may visit with the family tomorrow, Tuesday, May 30, 2017, from 5:00pm. until 8:00pm at the funeral home. Friends are also welcome to visit with the family on Wednesday, May 31, 2017, from 10:00am until the time of the service at the funeral home. Memorial contributions may be made to Gideons, www.gideons.org or Michigan Medical Victors, www.medicineneedsvictors.org. Those wishing to leave an online condolence may do so at www.starks-menchinger.com.
Ken was born on April 25, 1961 in Grand Rapids, to Clarence and Joann (DenBraber) Wuerfel. He is survived by his wife, Julie, their daughter, Theresa Rose (Rosie), his parents, Clarence and Joann Wuerfel of Orlando, Florida; and three sisters, Karen (Mitch) Hays of Orlando; Barbara Steele of Raleigh, North Carolina; Sandra (Morgan) Young of Kokomo, Indiana and several nieces and nephews.
Ken was a very successful businessman who took his various trades seriously, but still enjoyed a tremendous outlook on life and always had a smile for his fellow man. He was taken by illness at far too early an age and will be missed by all who knew him.
