1905 - 1998

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• Birth	20 Jan 1905	Goodwin, Oklahoma Territory
  Gender	Male
  Died	4 Dec 1998	Alva, Woods, Oklahoma
  Buried	Alva, Woods, Oklahoma
  Person ID	I0363	Kletke-Durham
  Last Modified	21 Jul 2009
  Father	Father Kirmse,   d. 14 Aug 1968
  Mother	Mother Kirmse,   d. 9 Dec 1967
  Family ID	F225	Group Sheet
  Family 1	Hilda Ida Brunken,   b. 22 Sep 1906, Platte Center, Nebraska ,   d. 24 Sep 1946, Oklahoma
  Married	1 Nov 1936	Zion Lutheran Church, Lahoma, Oklahoma
  Children	1. Dean Kirmse,   d. 17 Aug 1940   2. Donna Kirmse   3. Judy Kirmse   4. Dale Kirmse
  Family ID	F224	Group Sheet
  Family 2	Hilda Frieda Kletke,   b. 18 Mar 1905, Alva, Woods, Oklahoma ,   d. 2 Mar 2002, Alva, Woods, Oklahoma
  Married	19 Aug 1951	Alva, Woods, Oklahoma Zion Lutheran Church
  Family ID	F113	Group Sheet

• Photos	Julius & Hilda (Kletke) Kirmse
  	Julius & Hilda (Kletke) Kirmse

• Notes

  Julius H. Kirmse was born in a sod house near Goodwin, Oklahoma Territory, on January 20, 1905. Julius, son of William and Martha (Cordes) Kirmse, was baptized at the Lutheran Church at Shattuck, Oklahoma Territory, where the family attended church. In 1910, the family moved to a farm southeast of Alva. He attended the rural school and Lutheran School and helped his father with the farming. November 1, 1936, Julius and Hilda Ida (Brunken) were married at Zion Lutheran Church, Lahoma, Oklahoma. Hilda was born at Platte Center, Nebraska, the daughter of William and Clara (Peterson) Brunken on September 22, 1906. Julius and Hilda were the parents of four children, Dale-Gainsville, Florida, Dean-who was stillborn, Donna (Mrs. B.J. Martin)-Austin, Texas, and Judy (Mrs. Ron Yordi)-Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Hilda died September 24, 1946, and is buried in Zion Lutheran Cemetery. On August 19, 1951, Julius was married to Hildegard (Kletke), daughter of E.G. and Ida Louise Augustine Kletke at Zion Lutheran Church, Alva, by Rev. Otto Hoyer. They lived on a farm south of Alva until moving into Alva in 1968. Hildegard was born March 18, 1905, at the family home seven miles northwest of Alva. She attended the rural school where she learned to speak English. In 1918, the family moved to Optimo, New Mexico because of her mother's health. Hildegard continued her education there, graduating from high school in 1923. She also attended Northwestern State College, Alva; Columbia University, New York and graduated from Highlands University, Las Vegas, New Mexico in 1940. She taught at Cimmaron and Hope, New Mexico and for ten years at Artesia, New Mexico. Julius and Hildegard are longtime members of Zion Lutheran. She was a member of the Lutheran Women's Missionary League and Mary-Martha. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Born, 20January1905 Uncle Julius built a farm machine shop that was admired by all that were fortunate enough to have seen it. It was well stocked with tools and supplies and was always neat and clean. Here his thoughts and ideas took shape and became reality. He constructed various farm implements, trailers, hitches and added hard surfacing to sweeps and chisel points. He made design changes to equipment and there were always repairs. He constructed his own forge, carbide generator and many of his hand tools. I carry one of his punch/chisel sets in my red toolbox. - - - - - - - "There are two 'basic groups' of people in the world; People - people and Machine - people. I am not a People - people. Don't try to be something that your not." A year later I asked him to refresh my memory. He did and then continued; "There are three 'types' of people in the world; People that make things happen, People that know how to make things happen, and People that watch things happen. You have no control over which 'basic group' of people that you are a member of. You have total control of the 'type' of person that you become." Julius Henry Kirmse His voice has been silent for six years. The melodies of his life linger on. I propose a Toast to Uncle Julius. Dale Kletke