10/27/2025
Donald (Don) Eugene Kuckelman
August 8, 1931 — October 23, 2025
Topeka
Topeka – Donald (Don) Eugene Kuckelman, 94, of Topeka, passed away October 23, 2025, with Carolyn, his wife of 67 years, at his side.
Don was born August 8, 1931, in Effingham, Kansas to John and Margaret (Sauer) Kuckelman. He attended St. Ann’s School in Effingham from 1938-1945 and graduated Effingham High in 1949. Don credited his Effingham High education for his later success in business. Following graduation, he worked for local farmers before landing a job at Blish, Mize, & Silliman Hardware Company – a job that would lead to a career in that industry.
In 1950, Don enlisted in the Air Force. He was sent to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas before attending school at Lowry Field in Denver, Colorado, for supply accounting school. He was then transferred to Great Falls, Montana, where he worked in Technical Supply – more training that would further support his later career in retail and management. In 1952, he was shipped out to Guam and then to Japan, serving in the 6400 Aviation Ammunition Depot, supplying munitions to troops fighting in Korea, in addition to managing the enlisted men’s club.
Don was discharged from the Air Force in 1954 and returned to Effingham and Blish-Mize, working in the warehouse. He was reluctantly approached to “go on the road” as a salesman, a job he wasn’t considering or confident he could perform well and that required endless travel throughout Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Colorado. Despite not enjoying the travel he was good at the job and continued to develop his career.
He met Carolyn Rohlfs in 1957. The two were engaged in February 1958 and married on July 4, 1958. Don and Carolyn welcomed their first child, Kathy, in April 1959 and lived in a small house they purchased in Effingham. In 1960, he took an assignment in Topeka and the new family moved there, eventually purchasing a duplex where, in 1961, they added another daughter, Susan, to their growing household. They moved to a larger home and welcomed Tom (1962), Sara (1963), and Tim (1965). Despite the large family and sometimes worrying about making ends meet, Don always believed that family came first, and, with Carolyn at his side, he said things always seemed to work out for them; this was a tenet throughout his life, as his perpetual optimism was expressed in his frequently saying “tomorrow is a new day”.
In 1973, Don was offered a job at Whelan Lumber Company, his first job managing a hardware department. He was known as a knowledgeable, kind, and effective manager. He credited his many employees at Whelan’s for his consistent success. This afforded the family of seven a move to a still larger home at 1901 Bowman Court in 1972. In 1975 they welcomed for a short time a family of seven displaced Vietnamese into their home. Don
was proud to help them settle in Topeka and they remained very special to him throughout his life.
Don retired from Whelan’s in 1993 and began construction of a residence on five acres deeded by and adjacent to his eldest daughter, Kathy, and her husband, Bruce Woopert on Glick Road, west of Topeka. There, Don enjoyed building not only a new home for him and Carolyn, but numerous outbuildings for his grandchildren. His many projects caring for and developing that property gave him much purpose and enjoyment in his early retirement years.
While attending the funeral of a friend in 2000, Don met the funeral director at Brennan-Mathena Funeral Home. This chance meeting led to an 18-year second career working for Brennan-Mathena and Capitol City Mortuary performing funeral assistance and transporting the recently departed on their journey to their final resting place. Don enjoyed this work immensely, driving throughout the Midwest and meeting families at their home or hospice. Don was particularly fulfilled by helping care for the bodies of current and former service members returning home for burial in his beloved Kansas, providing comfort and respect to the families of departed military members. He continued to perform this work into his eighties, finally retiring for a second time in 2018.
Don and Carolyn sold their home on Glick Road in 2018 and moved to a condominium on Crest Drive before finally settling in West Topeka where Don passed away. Carolyn survives him.
Preceding Don in death were his parents, John and Margaret, a sister, Helen Thompson and her husband, Bill, as well as brothers Leonard and his wife Betty, Karl and his spouse Mary, John, and Jerry. Don is survived by his brother Claire and Claire’s wife Carol of Olathe, Kansas, and his sisters-in-law Virginia Kuckelman (brother Jerry) of Atchison, Kansas and Wilma Kuckelman (brother John) of Keokuk, Iowa.
Don was a proud father to his five children who all survive him – Kathy Woolpert (Bruce), Susan Morrison, Tom (Meredith), Sara Criswell (Sam), and Tim (Liz). He was also a loving grandfather to 13 grandchildren who all survive him: Jamie (Russell) Bonneville, John (Sarah) Towle, Mike (Olivia) Towle, Robin Young, Lisa (Josh) Birks, Corey (Dani) Miller, Casey (Stephen) Gasper, Steven (Tess) Kuckelman, Kristin (Cameron) Savage, Nora (Thom) Browne, Ellarie Woolpert, Ian Kuckelman, and Jennifer Kuckelman. Don was also proud of his 18 great-grandchildren, his one great-great grandchild, and his many beloved nieces and nephews.
Don will lie in state from 5-7:00 P.M. on Monday, November 3, 2025, with a Catholic Rosary being prayed at 7:00 P.M., at Brennan-Mathena Funeral Home.
Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:00 A.M., on Tuesday, November 4, at Most Pure Heart of Mary Catholic Church, 3601 SW 17th Street, Topeka, KS. Burial with military honors will follow at Mt. Calvary Cemetery, Topeka, followed by a luncheon at the Parish Hall.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made in Don’s memory to Most Pure Heart of Mary Catholic Church, where he was a faithful parishioner for more than 50 years. Contributions can be mailed or left with the funeral home.
To share a memory or to leave condolences, please visit Don's memorial webpage at www.brennanmathenafh.com.
Arrangements entrusted to Brennan-Mathena Funeral Home, 800 SW 6th Ave., Topeka, KS 66603.
