Dennis “Denny” Kempkers age 71, of Hamilton, died Monday, February 17, 2026 at his home following a brief battle with Pancreatic Cancer.
Denny was the son of Wallace and Florence Kempkers and was a charter member of Haven Reformed Church, where he served on the property committee for many years as well as led the team who ran the sound system. Denny was a veteran of the Air Force National Guard.
He worked for Meyering Insurance starting in 1982 and eventually retired as an owner after many years as an agent. He served on the Hamilton Community School’s Board of Education for 10 years. Hunting was one of Denny’s favorite hobbies. He enjoyed spending time in Illinois with his son Kyle guiding for deer. His love for hunting was not only passed along to Kyle but his granddaughters, Ryleigh and Ashtyn. He took great pride in watching their love of the sport grow and was so proud to be with both of them when they got their first deer and turkeys. Denny also loved to fish. He spent many hours in the boat fishing alongside of Kyle and traveling to many different states for tournaments. Denny was also a very avid golfer, even achieving a hole in one in 2023. His love for golf had him spending many days during the week at Diamond Springs Golf Course where you could find him golfing with his wife Becky, many friends and even working as a ranger. It brought him great joy to watch his granddaughters also develop a love of the game, he rarely missed a golf match.
Denny is survived by his wife of 50 years, Rebecca “Becky”; children, Jen and Eric Becksford, Kyle and Amanda Kempkers; granddaughters, Ryleigh and Ashtyn Becksford; brother, Gord and Lisa Kempkers; in-laws, David and Beverly DeHaan, Sue and Bob Beelen, Diane and Jim Lautenbach, MaryEllen and Todd Muilenburg; stepsiblings, Jan and Arkie Goodin, Fran Kempkers; several nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, sister, Barbie, and sisters-in-law, Judy and Laurel; stepsiblings, Ted Kempkers, Norma and Dale DeWitt, and Donna and John Gingrich
A memorial service will be 11:00 a.m. Friday, February 21, 2025 at Haven Reformed Church, 4691 Oak Street, Hamilton. Interment will be in Riverside Cemetery, Hamilton. Visitation will be 4-7 p.m. Thursday, February 20, at Haven Reformed Church. Memorial contributions may be given to the Hospice Organization of your choice.
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