January 11, 1933 – November 13, 2025
Kenneth L. Lein (Ken), age 92 of Lake Mills, passed away on Thursday, November 13, 2025 at the Lake Mills Care Center in Lake Mills, Iowa.
Visitation for Ken will be held on Friday, November 21, 2025 from 4:00 – 6:00 PM at Schott Funeral Homes Mittelstadt Chapel, 902 E. Main St. in Lake Mills.
A private service will take place followed by interment in the Amsterdam Township Cemetery, Kanawha, Iowa.
Schott Funeral Homes Mittelstadt Chapel has been entrusted to care for Kenneth and his family.
Kenneth LeRoy Lein, the son of Alice and Oscar Lein, was born January 11, 1933 in Kanawha, Iowa where he lived and graduated from Kanawha high school. Ken married Janis Burnquist on October 16, 1951. They spent the first twenty-four years of their married life in Thompson, Iowa and in 1975, moved to Lake Mills for the following years.
Ken was a member of Salem Lutheran Church in Lake Mills and Hope Lutheran Church of Walker, MN where he and Janis later built their retirement home.
Ken had a true partner in life, his wife Janis, and they enjoyed 49 years of marriage before her death in 2000.
Ken started his career with the Winnebago Rural Telephone Association (WCTA) in 1951 when he was hired to help with construction of the first pole and aerial wire systems, helped convert us from our “crank” system to a dial system, saw us go from party to private lines and then later started putting in underground, stormproof cables beginning in 1967-1980’s. He thoroughly enjoying his years working for WCTA in various duties and in 1974 was promoted to general manager in Lake Mills. He was asked to serve on many boards including OPASTCO (Organization for the Promotion and Advancement of Small Telephone Companies) where he was elected its President in 1983 and received the 1992 President’s Award which is the highest honor bestowed by this national organization. He also served on the Board of Directors of the US Telephone Association consisting of 1300 members and served for two years as chairman of its Small Company Committee. He was cofounder of Iowa Network Services (INS) and helped form Envoy, formerly known as MEANS (Minnesota Equal Access Network System), US Intelco Networks and the Independent Telecommunications Network. He testified before Congress while serving on the NTCA (National Telephone Cooperative Association) Government Affairs Committee and acted as Iowa State Coordinator at the Legislative Conferences. He also traveled to Poland in August 1990 at their government’s request for assistance in improving their rural telecommunication systems. Ken retired in 1998 after more than 46 years and loved to tell the story that they called him a “quitter”. After retirement he was able to spend his time with family and friends at his home on Leech Lake. Ken enjoyed fishing, boating, sailing, woodworking and snowmobiling with children, grandchildren, and his cherished greatgrandchildren.
Ken peacefully passed away November 13, 2025.
Ken was preceded in death by his wife, Janis; parents; son, Daniel of Madison Lake, MN; three sisters: Opal and husband Ed of Klemme, IA; Marjorie and Bill Sheriff of Goodell, IA; Ruth and Dick Ersland of Kenyon, MN; three brothers: LuVerne, Arlyn and wife Freda of Belmond, IA and Wayne of Belmond, IA.
He is survived by his three children: Julie Spiess and husband, John of Spencer, IA; Mary Aukes and husband, Paul of Madison Lake, MN and Brian Lein of Madison Lake, MN; his cherished sister-in-law Carmin, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews and their families.
We want to thank everyone for keeping our Dad and his family in your thoughts and prayers. It means so very much to us…
Your expression of sympathy and support is appreciated.
Any memorials will be sent to several of Ken’s favorite charities/organizations including Lake Mills Food Shelf, Salem Lutheran Church and Mills Harbour Independent and Assisted Living and Lake Mills Care Center
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