Kenneth Dale Froese was born May 31, 1941, at Hutchinson, Kansas, the first of three children born to Pete and Hilda Martens Froese. He had a strong relationship with his Dad, and spent a lot of time at his Dad’s side in his farm shop, learning not only how to weld and fix things, but also Dad’s philosophy. Ken and his Dad conversed in low German . . .even thought in German! It’s not surprising then, that when Ken started school at Sparta school east of Inman he could speak only low German. What Ken’s Dad taught him was far more valuable than any material thing Ken could have received. Dad taught him tolerance, patience . . . and when faced with a problem, to take a step back to get a broader perspective on the situation. He gave Ken the opportunity to earn what he wanted, rather than to give it to him outright. Ken could raise a bucket calf, and pay for the calf and the feed when the calf was sold. Already a budding entrepreneur, he built his own motorized bicycle when he was barely a teenager. To get the horse he wanted, Ken boarded and broke horses for the neighbors.
When he was a freshman and sophomore in high school, Ken was a shepherd, raising several dozen sheep. Using this money, and getting a loan from the bank to buy his first combine, Ken headed up a wheat harvesting crew together with Bob Ediger, the summer after his sophomore year in high school, hiring some of his friends and classmates to drive the trucks. After he graduated from Inman High School in 1959, Ken built his own forage harvester, just as his Dad had done almost 20 years earlier, and went into the ensilage cutting business. Taking the lead from his Dad, they were soon joined by Ken’s brother Don, and brother-in-law Jim Krehbiel. Under Ken’s leadership, this business grew to 6 silage cutters, 18 trucks, and a crew of 26.
In 1962, Ken married Judy Penner at Zoar Mennonite Brethren Church in Inman. He supported her dream of going to college, both financially and by pitching in with domestic duties and willingly sharing the care of baby Sherri.
In 1967, Ken stepped in to help his uncle Eddie Froese operate the Rhodes frozen bread plant in Inman, after the death of Eddie’s son/Ken’s cousin. The dough plant was soon running three shifts day and night, providing employment for up to 34 area residents, for many years. Ken lived only a block or so away from the dough plant, and often he would be called to the plant at night to take care of a problem.
In 1976, Ken and his partners, Milferd and V Lee Penner, started Inman Irrigation, Inc., bringing the first pivot irrigation to Central Kansas. Gerry Friesen traded his carpenter’s hammer for a wrench and winch, erecting Valley circle sprinklers for Ken’s company. Ken became the sole owner of Inman Irrigation in 1980. When Milferd left to pursue his dream of being a writer and photographer. V Lee stayed on as office manager; her congenial personality served to oil the gears of the business, smoothing the rough places and endearing her to co-workers and customers alike.
Ken built a team to run the irrigation business; every one who worked there knew exactly what needed to be done, knew that the customers depended on him or her to do their job. Ken rarely told anyone what to do; he just discussed the situation with them, and then it was easy for them to see what needed to be done. As each person earned Ken’s trust, he delegated more decision-making to them. Ken depended heavily on Jim Lowe, who was an expert on Valley pivots and readily shared his knowledge; his easy-going personality always kept things on an even keel. The employees at Inman Irrigation could handle the day-to-day business very well, and they often encouraged Ken to take some time off, especially in the summer when they knew he loved to be at the lake. But they depended on Ken for giving the company direction, for that over-all view that he had . . . the big picture.
Nothing could surpass the loyalty that Ken felt for his employees. He believed that achieving the company’s goals was a way for each of them (himself included) to achieve their personal goals. Ken was genuinely interested in the lives of his employees, as they can give testimony. Many can quote his one-line mottos and sayings, such as the seven Ps: “Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance”. . . or “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care”. He had the big picture in his mind, always able to see beyond the details and looking far ahead of most people. Sometimes after months and years of planning and work, some deal or project would fall into place, and Ken would say to Judy, “We got lucky again!” or more often in low German, “Et haht allvade yegleckt!” They would chuckle, knowing that it wasn’t luck at all!
Very few people realize that Ken was also an inventor. Combining his unique vision with what
he learned in his Dad’s farm shop, he enjoyed designing a tool or piece of equipment to fill a specific need. He would build a prototype, and make improvements until it worked just the way he intended. Sometimes the end result was just something he used in his business, but sometimes he found a way to put it into production . . . like the sickle guards he built and sold for swathers back in the 1960s. Several items he invented were sold in the turf division of Inman Irrigation: an aerator, a grass seeder, and the Dickens Panbuster which Ken designed together with Loren Dick.
Ken and Judy have always enjoyed water recreation; they even owned a little wooden motor boat the first year of their marriage, launching it in the muddy water of Lake Inman and the clear blue water of Table Rock Lake in the Ozarks. A few years later, they bought a cabin at Lake Kanopolis – one of the first cinder block cabins built after the completion of the dam in 1954? Friends were always welcome at the cabin, and many times there were wall-to-wall beds and sleeping bags. All the neighbors and everybody’s relatives were invited to the annual hog roasts . . . and the October wiener roasts down by the lake!
On Labor Day 1979, Ken and Judy and their friends had the last big party in that cabin. The next weekend their friends came back to move everything out of the cabin . . . and it was dozed down. By spring 1980, a new cabin stood in its place. This cabin at Lake Kanopolis and his many friends at Yankee Run were a source of great pleasure for Ken. Ken said he felt closer to God there than anywhere else on earth. When flood waters threatened the cabin in 1993, Ken’s friends, employees, and neighbors filled umpteen sandbags and barricaded the walk-out basement from the flood. Memories like that are worth more than money. Ken considered his greatest wealth to be his many friends.
Ken survived a heart attack at age 44, and triple by-pass heart surgery seven years later. Ordered by his cardiologist to take some time off from work, Ken was able rest his body, but not his mind. While recuperating, he designed a two-slip boat dock to be built from scrapped irrigation pipe. When the Corp of Engineers required stamped architectural blueprints in order to approve the dock, one of Ken’s customers who is an architect put Ken’s plan on paper and stamped it. Loren Dick did the welding to make that dock a reality. One of Ken’s proudest moments was when that dock was slipped into the waters of Lake Kanopolis just three months after his heart surgery in 1993.
Ken always had time to listen, to give counsel when asked, or share his views. He never sought recognition or reward for what he did for others. . . he would rather work quietly behind the scenes. His reward was the satisfaction of seeing a smile on the faces of those he helped to achieve their goal. There were many who sought his counsel: from the employee who asked him to hold his personal checkbook so that he would not overdraw his account. . . or the sick employee who called Ken to take him to the doctor in Wichita in the middle of the night . . .or the sub-contractor who got a break because of the business that Ken sent his way. . . or the many customers who looked to Ken as a consultant for their farming business. . . or the bankers who benefited from his perspective. Ken was one of the early investors in the Inman Industrial
organization, and a member of the Inman Chamber of Commerce. Ken was the recipient of many awards from Valmont for excellence in the management of his business; he was a former member of the Valley Dealer Council.
Ken believed in encouraging someone who was doing something right, however small that effort might be. His pat on the back usually brought renewed vigor to the effort, resulting in a greater achievement. Ken did not have much use for (quote) important positions, or titles. His goal was simply to be a friend, someone who cared about other people. His highest compliment for someone was “He is a Good Person”.
If there was one title that Ken did enjoy, it was “Grandpa”. His two grandchildren, Christopher and Lindsey (Drake), were his pride and joy. If there was anything that could tear him away from work, it was those two. Ken often planned what he would teach Chris or Lindsey at their next meeting. He enjoyed them as much as any grandpa could, and wanted more than anything to impart his philosophy and attitude about life to them. He once said, “When you do something, you do it because of who you are, not because somebody makes you do it, or because of who the other person is.”
Well, Ken. . . we know who we are. . . we are better for having known you. You were that “Good Person”!
Godspeed! We’ll see you on the other side!
Ken is survived by his wife, Judy Froese, McPherson, KS; brother, Don (Dianne) Froese, Inman KS, brother-in-law Jim Krehbiel, Newton KS, daughter Sherri Evans, Camp Verde AZ; grandchildren Chris (Samantha) Evans, Ozark MO, Drake (James) Loughead, Albuquerque NM, and Mae Manuel, Springfield MO; great grandchildren Kara and Aria Evans, Ozark MO. Ken was preceded in death by his sister Rosanne Krehbiel, and his parents.
Services are on Wednesday, April 2, 2025 with a private memorial service and burial, followed by lunch at noon and a Community Celebration of Life at the Inman Community Center.
Ken won’t be able to enjoy flowers at the funeral, there will plenty of flowers where he is going. So in lieu of sending flowers to the funeral home, it would please us if you would send flowers to someone that you love so they can enjoy them here and now, in Ken’s memory. Memorial gifts may be made to the Inman Senior Center, in care of Inman Funeral Home.