Bernard Adolph Demel, 84, passed away July 24, 2020, in Norman, Oklahoma.
He was born February 9, 1939, on a farm near Odin, Kansas, the fourth of nine children born to Alois and Christina (Schneweis) Demel.
He met Joyce Kathleen (Kathy) Lane in in 1957 and they were married October 17, 1959.
While a boy during WWII, Bernie would watch pilots practice bombing runs over Cheyenne Bottoms. He had a life-long interest in planes and aviation and in 1964 he earned his Private Pilot License. For a time, had a part ownership in a small plane.
He was always inquisitive about how things worked and could disassemble (and successfully reassemble) nearly anything. As a youth he built a motorized wagon from parts in a scrap pile. To his high school friends he was known as "Mac" for his mechanical abilities.
He applied those talents in the U.S. Army, serving his country for three years at Fort Ord, CA and Fort Lewis, WA as a tank mechanic.
Following his honorable discharge from the service, he studied electronics at DeVry Technical Institute in Chicago. He returned home to work in a radio and television repair shop in Great Bend.
In 1964 he began working for Western Power & Gas Company at the Mullergren power plant west of Great Bend. His role as a journeyman-repairman was principally instrument repair and maintenance, but his favorite times were when engineers would visit for major overhauls because he “always learned so much” during those projects. He was involved in nearly all aspects of the plant and spent 2 years as the Plant Superintendent. He retired from the company in 1995 and, in typical fashion, spent his retirement years continuing to learn by watching educational videos.
Bernie was also a farmer. He was descended from farmers and spent much of his youth living away from home working for his uncle on his farm. He and two brothers formed a hog raising partnership for a time and he worked many years for his brother Lawrence as his second job. In 1974 he moved his family from Great Bend onto his own farm near Hoisington where he raised mostly cattle, wheat, and alfalfa.
He also built the family home. What began as a repair and update to the turn-of-the-century home on the property ended up as a tear-down when extensive structural damage was discovered. A replacement house was built from the foundation up by the family, with Bernie installing all of the electrical and plumbing, mixing and pouring the concrete for the front porch, and even laying the brick for chimney. There were few things he could not do well.
While not necessarily an “environmentalist”, he saw the wisdom of taking care of the land because when he worked with nature instead of trying to control it he had better results. He enjoyed observing nature and when returning from working the fields he would often relay stories of the wildlife he’d observed.
He retired from farming in 2001 and after relocating to Norman, OK, he and Kathy traveled. They visited Italy, Alaska, and Hawaii, and crossed through the Panama Canal twice. They visited New England, the upper-Midwest, and Washington DC, and ventured into the canyons of the western US & Mexico. In 2016 he traveled to Maine, having now visited all 50 states. He claimed one of his favorite places was Costa Rico.
He joined the Knights of Columbus on January 1, 1955 and was the second longest serving Knight in Council 12108, having been a faithful Knight for 65 years.
Bernie died of complications from dementia. Over a number of years the disease took away the man he was and eventually led to a broken hip that sapped his life from him.
He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Kathy Demel of the home; three sons, Kent Demel and his wife Colleen of Fort Worth, TX, Kevin Demel of Fort Worth, TX, and Kelly Demel and his wife Kim of Overland Park, KS; one daughter, Karen Sneed and her husband Steve of Norman, OK; and seven grandchildren: Eli, Emily, Erin, CJ, Cayton, Kelsey, and Kolin. He was preceded in death by two brothers, Lawrence Demel and Tony Demel.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:00 a.m. Thursday, August 6, 2020, at St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church, Norman. The service will be live-streamed at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3RBxYgF2PJKaS7zqz6gnkw and people are encouraged to attend virtually.
There will be no viewing as cremation has taken place. Due to Coronavirus risk, a small private graveside service will be held with interment in St. John Church Cemetery, Hoisington, KS.
Memorials are suggested to Alzheimer’s Association or Verda Lane Nursing Scholarship, in care of Nicholson-Ricke Funeral Home, PO Box 146, Hoisington, KS 67544.