July 5, 1922 - June 12, 2017
Kathy (Ahrweiler) Felkins was from a proud family of German immigrants who came to America late in the 19th century. Settling in southeast Iowa, the Ahrweilers grew to prosper as farmers and owner-operators in the coal mining business. Kathleen Elizabeth Ahrweiler was born in 1922 near Oskaloosa, Iowa, the first child of Charles and Marjorie Ahrweiler. She passed away in Lodi on June 12, 2017.
Kathy married her teenage sweetheart, Keith D. Russell, in 1941, who shortly thereafter was drafted into the Army as World War II began. During his long absence in Europe, Kathy worked in her family’s business as a bookkeeper. Keith remained in the Army after the war, bringing frequent relocations for his wife and young son over the next several years.
The Russells arrived in Stockton in 1952, where Kathy continued her bookkeeping career with California Welding Supply Company, then with the Stockton Record. Over the years she did bookkeeping for numerous small businesses and as a volunteer for various associations that she joined along the way. Most notable among those was the San Joaquin Dixieland Jazz Society, with which she enthusiastically participated for more than twenty years.
Kathy and Keith were divorced in 1954. She married Ira J. Felkins in the following year, but that union also ended after 24 years. Thereafter, Kathy enjoyed an exceptionally happy and active retirement, selflessly devoting countless hours to the benefit of various individuals and organizations.
Kathy was preceded in death by her parents, her brother Charles Ahrweiler, Jr., and her sister Anne Jean Koopman. She is survived by her son Ronald Russell, daughter-in-law Frances Russell, grandson Michael Russell, and great-grandson Carson Russell, all of Lodi; by her niece Stacy Ahrweiler Martin of Reno, and by her nephew Charles Koopman of Ponca City, Oklahoma.
SERVICES
A celebration of life for Kathy will conducted at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, July 19th, in the Vineyard Chapel at Cherokee Memorial Park, Lodi.
INTERMENT
She will be interred next to her parents at Forest Cemetery in Oskaloosa, Iowa.