Jonni Melinda Kruckenberg of Great Bend, Kansas died on May 12, 2023 in Hutchinson, Kansas.
She was born on March 12, 1958 in Newcastle, Wyoming to Wilma Patricia “Pat” and Melvin Hunt. She was the youngest of siblings Dena, Jerry, Lonny, and Debbie. Her father, Melvin, was severely injured in an accident while driving for work while Pat was pregnant with Melinda. He was taken by Flight for Life to a Denver hospital where he died from severe burns. It was a time of great grief for the family and a grief that Melinda would carry through her life. Pat fell in love with and married Roy Glenn Julius who would do the work and labor of love of being a father to Melinda after she was born.
With Pat’s marriage to Roy Glenn, Melinda gained sister Virginia and in the years after, younger siblings followed: Patty, Nancy, and Janet making Melinda a big sister, too.
Summers were spent traveling from Wyoming to Washington to retain connections with the Hunt side of the family.
Melinda was a cheerleader at Upton High School where she grew up in Upton, Wyoming. She worked at the Tastee Freeze. Summers were spent swimming and sunbathing. At age 16, she married Stephen Lee Henderson and they had three children: Angela, Scott, and Stephanie. They enjoyed spending time with family and going to the lake to camp and swim.
In the spring of 1984, Stephen and Melinda divorced. Melinda and the kids moved from Upton, Wyoming to Great Bend, Kansas to live with Roy and Pat Julius until moving out on her own to raise her 3 children.
Melinda always wanted to make sure her children had a father, but she also worked on herself, too. She worked hard raising her kids working odd jobs, getting her GED and then going to Barton County Community College to earn her Associate’s Degree in Criminal Justice. She built a village of support through extended family, friend Sharon Cox and a group for singles called New Beginnings, and at the Community of Christ Church. She met and fell in love with Martin (Marty) Kruckenberg. They married in the Community of Christ Church in Great Bend, Kansas on April 10, 1993. The family grew a bit more to include not only Marty, but also his two daughters Gina and Amy.
Having 5 kids kept Marty and Melinda quite busy in addition to their work. Melinda earned her CNA Certification in Mental Health and worked for a time at the State Mental Hospital in Larned, Kansas. After a move to Buhler, Kansas following Marty’s job opportunity at Eaton, Melinda secured a position working in Medical Records for Inman Manor in Inman, Kansas.
There were tough times and yet there were also times to laugh and have fun together. Melinda enjoyed creating ways for the family to get together for board games or events and made sure birthdays and holidays were special. She loved watching Soap Operas when she was younger and then moved to Friends, This Is Us, and Court TV. She was incredibly passionate about fairness and justice and helping others. She was especially passionate about her family and grandchildren who lit up her face every time they visited.
Melinda struggled with health problems for much of her life having her first heart attack at age 42. She was surrounded by her ever expanding family in person (and even more in spirit!) when she died peacefully on May 12, 2023. She persevered through so much and now she is finally whole again and at peace.
Jonni Melinda Kruckenberg is preceded in death by her father, Melvin John Hunt; mother, Wilma Patricia “Pat” Julius; son in law, Kyle Wooten; nephew, Melvin Clyde; nephew, Shawn Clyde and nephew, Jason Dean Hunt.
Melinda is survived by her husband, Martin Lee Kruckenberg and first husband Stephen Lee Henderson; children , Angela (Letitia) Henderson, Scott (Jennifer) Henderson, Stephanie (Vijay) Vaghela, Gina Cook, and Amy (Scott) Steinmetz; brothers, Jerry Hunt and Lonny (Tereza) Hunt; sisters, Dena (Paul) Hayashino, Debbie (Gordon) Stoddard, Virginia Livingston, Patricia “Patty” (Ron) Bruce, Nancy Julius (Guy Johnson), and Janet (Jeff) Capps; father, Roy Glenn Julius; grandchildren, Italy, Riverton, Ember, Kaiton, Emrys, Phoenix, Brayton, Kayla, Thomas, Corbon, Maia, Owen, Calvin, Aron, Daniel, Leah, Ella, and Luke. She is survived by countless nieces and nephews and cousins.
The family would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the loving people at Diversicare of Hutchinson, the team at Gentiva Hospice who provided care to Melinda, family, and friends and to the Trinity Lutheran Church of Great Bend.
A memorial service will be held at Trinity Lutheran Church in Great Bend, Kansas at 2 p.m. on June 3, 2023. Condolences can be sent to Marty Kruckenberg at 2101 Jefferson Street, Great Bend, Kansas 67530.