Esther Gertrude Kling peacefully passed away on Sunday, Christmas Eve, December 24, 2017, at Sidney Health Center Extended Care in Sidney.
Esther was the first child born to Gottlieb and Katherine (Kunstmann) Hermann on June 26, 1922, in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. She spent her childhood in Sheboygan with her five younger siblings John, Gottlieb Jr., Hilde, Marion, and Caroline where they had pleasant summers spent at the lakes and fun winters ice skating together.
In 1937, at the age of fifteen, Esther moved with her family to Sidney, Montana. She soon met and fell in love with her future husband, Jacob “Jack” Kling. The couple was married on November 17, 1941 in Sidney. Esther’s family moved back to Sheboygan, however she stayed with her new husband in Sidney. Despite this, Jack promised Esther to take her home every spring to visit her family, a promise he kept always.
Jack and Esther farmed in the Sidney area and raised sugar beets, corn, and grain. During the winter months they fed cattle and sheep. The couple was blessed with their first child, Jerry, in May of 1943. In November of 1947 they welcomed their second son, Kenneth. Their third child, Cheryl, was born in April of 1954 and completed their family.
Esther was a city girl who adapted with great love and enthusiasm to farm life with Jack and her children. She worked side by side with Jack irrigating and helping on the farm. She was also an amazing cook, homemaker, and delighted in her three children.
When harvest time rolled around, Esther always made amazing meals, homemade pies, cakes, cookies, kuchen, and hot coffee, which she brought out to the fields much to the delight of Jack and the other farmhands. To this day her children and grandchildren remember the festive Christmases she hosted complete with a large bowl of punch for the children, Christmas tree cookies, and zucchini bread.
Esther also enjoyed music and learned to play the piano. She often said she got her cooking skills from her mother and her musical talent from her father who played the guitar, banjo, piano, and played and made violins.
Besides working on the farm and raising their children, Esther worked a variety of jobs in town such as at Woolworths, Ben Franklin, Reynolds, and Farm and Home. She sold Avon for a time, cooked meals at Crestwood, and did home health care. In the mid-seventies Jack and Esther also owned the Eagle Café for many years. She enjoyed cooking and baking for the restaurant as well as chatting with the customers.
Jack passed away on June 30, 1982 after a long battle with emphysema. Esther never remarried. She moved to town from the country in May of 2001. As her health declined, and her battle with dementia worsened, Esther moved into Extended Care in June of 2007, where she was frequently visited by her son and daughter-in-law, Ken and Diana Kling.
Esther was a member of Ebenezer Congregational Church and enjoyed helping with the many church meals over the years. Besides cooking, Esther enjoyed sewing, gardening, planting her favorite flowers, ceramics, and staying in touch with her friends and family in Sheboygan. Although small in stature, Esther always had a big heart, and was a lady of dignity and grace. She lived a long life and will be dearly missed.
Esther is survived by her large family including her three children, Jerry (JoAnn) Kling, Roanoke, Vir.; Ken (Diana) Kling, Sidney; and Cheryl Murray, Austin, Tex.; her ten grandchildren, Aron (Carrie) Kling, Justin Kling, Holly (Ben) Hetzel, Jessica (Nathan) Dierenfield, Desiree (Thomas) Kling, Shereen Marino, Ken Jr. “Berry” (Tracy) Burns, Peter (Dawn) Murray, Lareina (Andrew) Curtis-Wellings, and Vicki (Tim) Todd; and 15 great-grandchildren.
Esther was preceded in death by her parents, Gottlieb and Katherine Hermann, her husband, Jack Kling, and her five siblings John, Gottlieb Jr., Hilde, Marion, and Caroline.
Esther will be dearly missed by her family. It warms our hearts as she provided so many wonderful Christmases for our family, that she was able to meet her savior Jesus Christ when we celebrate his birthday. We believe Esther and Jack are finally reunited, dancing together again, in heaven.