Reverend William A. Kunkel

William A. Kunkel

William Alphonse Kunkel was born on August 2, 1876, on the Kunkel farm about four miles east of Dyersville, Iowa, the first of seven children born to Frank and Margaret (Gerken) Kunkel. His godfather was John E. Gerken, his mother's first cousin. His siblings were Barbara, Anna, Amelia, Edward, Margaret "Meta", and Paula. The children also grew up with their aunt Sophia Gerken, Margaret's younger sister, in the household, as Sophia, at age thirteen, had gone to live with the Kunkels to housekeep after Herman Gerken, Margaret's and Sophia's father, died in 1875. The Kunkel family moved into Dyersville circa 1887. Margaret Kunkel died in 1896, and Sophia continued on in the household, after having helped the family during the illness that led to her sister's death. Subsequently, in 1900, Frank Kunkel married Sophia Gerken, and Sophia, who had been acting as a second mother for many years to the children, was now their stepmother.

William entered the St. Francis school at Dyersville where he obtained a liberal education. Circa 1892, after careful deliberation, he concluded to study and prepare for the priesthood. His parents complied with his desire and sent him to St. Joseph's College in Dubuque, Iowa. He attended the college for five years, until he completed his philosophical and classical course and in September 1898, he was transferred to the Grand Seminary at Montreal, Canada, where he completed a comprehensive course in theology, and on December 21, 1901, after he had received all minor orders and deaconships, he was ordained to the holy priesthood.

Rev. Father W.A. Kunkel Celebrates His First Holy Mass in St. Francis Church, Dyersville.
On Thursday morning, December 26, 1901, St. Francis Church was crowded with the faithful from far and near to witness the newly ordained Rev. Father William A. Kunkel celebrate his first holy mass. The Rev. August R. Thier also said his first mass the same day.

At nine o'clock a procession was formed at St. Francis School, including the St. Francis and St. Joseph's societies in full regalia, the pupils of St Francis School, little girls in white, the acolytes and clergymen, who escorted the newly ordained from the parochial residence to St. Francis Church, where after invocation the reverend fathers received their priestly vestments. Rev. Father Kunkel then ascended to the altar and brought his first oblation before the throne of God. Very Rev. Father Heer was the assistant priest; Rev. Joseph Gorman of St. Joseph College, Dubuque, was the deacon; Rev. Albert Shaffer of LeMars, subdeacon; Rev. H.H. Forkenbrock of Ionia, master of ceremonies.

Little Thecla Gerken was the bride, Hildegard Steger and Laura Gerken, bridesmaids, and Alma Steger and Florence Messing were flower girls.

Rev. Father Theo. Warning of Dubuque preached a very interesting sermon, dedicated to the celebration. He is an eloquent speaker and left a deep impression on his hearers of the importance the priesthood has in advancing the temporal and spiritual welfare of mankind.

After the service all were invited over to St. Francis hall where the children gave a pleasing program in honor of the newly ordained.

At the conclusion of the program, Rev. Father Kunkel thanked the children and gave them his blessing.

The Reverend Father Kunkel is from the best of families of St. Francis Parish. He is highly esteemed by the entire community in which he grew up to manhood, and all feel justly proud of him and participate with his parents in the joy of knowing that another worthy servant from this parish has volunteered to work for the betterment and advancement of his fellow men.

May his harvest be a worthy one and earn eternal blessings for him, is the wish of his many friends.

Father Kunkel's pastoral assignments.
The Reverend Father William Kunkel served as assistant pastor at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport, Iowa, from 1902 to 1903. In 1903 he served as a temporary pastor at St. Mathias Parish in Muscatine, Iowa, before being appointed the first resident pastor of St. Michael's Church at Nashua, Iowa, in August of that same year. The parishioners had rented and furnished a house to use as a rectory for the newly appointed pastor. St. Michael's Church at that time was an empty building and Father Kunkel at once set about having it repaired and enlarged. Father Kunkel himself donated the main altar. The next summer a fine new rectory was added to the church property.

In 1906 Father Kunkel resigned from St. Michael's in Nashua because of ill health, but he returned as pastor during the summer of 1908, after he had become stronger. During the time of his pastorate, the Catholics suffered much from the bigotry caused by the flourishing Ku Klux Klan. However by the time the pastor left Nashua in 1912, a marked change had taken place, which was demonstrated by the fact that such a large number of Protestants, including their ministers, were present at the farewell banquet tendered Father Kunkel. Through the zealous efforts of Father Kunkel, the parish had grown from about 30 families to around 60 to 65 families. At St. Michael's Church in Nashua, Father Kunkel presided at the first recorded baptism, that of Aryne Alicia, born July 28 and baptized August 20, 1903, daughter of James E. Murray and Ellen Gossman, and at the first recorded marriage, when James Loye and Mabelle Shanno were united on November 2, 1905.

Rev. William A. Kunkel

In 1912 Father Kunkel left for his new appointment as pastor of St. Aloysius Church at South Garryowen, Iowa, where he remained until 1914. He served as pastor at Sacred Heart Church in Fillmore, Iowa, where he remained only a few months. From 1914 to 1931, Father Kunkel served as pastor at St. Joseph's Church in Raymond, Iowa, and from 1931 to 1944 at St. Michael's Church in Norway, Iowa, where he, as in all his pastorates, ably directed the destinies of the parish. In October 1944 Father Kunkel became pastor at Sacred Heart Church in Maquoketa, Iowa, where he served until his death in 1951.

Rev. Wm. Kunkel of Maquoketa Died Monday Morning.
Rev. William A. Kunkel, 75, pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Maquoketa, Iowa, died at the Jackson County hospital in that city Monday morning, March 5, 1951, at about three o'clock. He had been seriously ill for about a week.

He is survived by two sisters, Miss Paula Kunkel of Ossian, Iowa, and Mrs. Meta Beckman of Dyersville, Iowa. He was preceded in death by his parents, three sisters, Barbara, Mrs. J.W. Keffeler; Anna, Mrs. D. Keffeler; and Amelia, Mrs. Edw. Ament.

The funeral was held at Maquoketa Thursday morning, March 8, 1951, with the Most Reverend Henry P. Rohlman, Archbishop of Dubuque, as celebrant at the pontifical requiem High Mass at Sacred Heart Church. Burial was in Sacred Heart Cemetery.

Sources include, primarily, an account of the ordination and the obituary for Father Kunkel from the Dyersville Commercial and the Centennial History of the Archdiocese of Dubuque, compiled and edited by the Rev. M.M. Hoffman (Dubuque: Columbia College Press, 1938).

© 2002, 2004 Tom Larson P.O. Box 141 Peosta, IA 52068-0141 http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~tdlarson/gerken/kunkel/williama.htm Last revised September 23, 2004.