Kelvin Kay Moeller, 71, of Northfield, passed away on Monday, July 7, 2008, at his home in rural Northfield, after a year-long battle with small-cell lung cancer. He was surrounded with his wife and three daughters at the time of his death.
Funeral services will be 1:30 p.m. Monday at the United Methodist Church in Northfield. Visitation will be Sunday from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Bierman Funeral Home in Northfield.
Kelvin Moeller was born July 8, 1936, in Waterloo, Iowa, son of Theodore and Gladys (Jurgens) Moeller of Waterloo, Iowa. He graduated from West Waterloo High School in 1954. He served in the U.S. Army from 1954 to 1956, while stationed at Scofield Army Base in Hawaii. From 1956 to 1958, he attended the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa, where he met Doris Johnson of Dows, Iowa, where they were united in marriage on Aug. 17, 1958.
He and Doris moved to Rantoul, Ill., so that Kelvin could attend the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. He graduated in 1961 with a bachelor of arts degree. Kelvin was employed by Byerly Aviation from 1961 to 1963 in Peoria, IL as a charter pilot and ground school instructor. From 1963 to 1966 Kelvin served as a ground school and flight instructor at the Institute of Aviation, University of Illinois where he completed his masters of education degree in 1966.
Kelvin and Doris moved their family to Inver Grove Heights in 1966 upon employment as a commercial airline pilot for Northwest Airlines. During his 27 years at Northwest, in addition to flying, some of Kelvin’s duties included writing flight curriculum, ground school simulator instruction, and being a check pilot. Especially significant in his career, was a special assignment as a flight crew co-pilot on the Electra airplane, to Senator Edward Muskie from 1971 to 1972, as the senator campaigned for the U.S. Presidency.
Kelvin and Doris realizes their dream by purchasing a farm in 1972 and moving the daughters to rural Northfield. In 1993, he retired from Northwest Airlines. Kelvin and Doris were actively involved as volunteer 4-H leaders for over 25 years, Kelvin served as Rice County Sheep Project leader, Rice County Extension Committee member, Rice County Building and Maintenance Committee member, Minnesota Livestock Breeders Association member, and several sheep producer organizations. He was a member of the United Methodist Church and the Airlines Pilot Association (ALPA). Upon retirement, Kelvin and Doris purchased their first of several motor homes. They spent extensive time each year traveling, in particular to Wyoming and Texas, as well as camping with their children and grandchildren. Kelvin enjoyed working on the farm, designing and remodeling numerous home, barn, and motor home projects. To his delight, his daughter Krista rented and then purchased the adjacent farm property in 1999.
Kelvin Moeller is survived by his wife Doris; daughters Brenda (Bill) Morris of Albert Lea, Debra (John) Rockow of Fort Dodge, Iowa, Krista Moeller Murry of Northfield; grandchildren Matthew, Jacob, and Sara; brother Robert (Janet) McInroy of Spooner, Wis.; sister-in-law Wanda (Robert) Sorenson of Middletown, Maryland; nieces Shelly Sorenson of Houston, Texas, and Sandy Sorenson of Maryland. He was preceded in death by his parents, Theodore and Gladys Moeller.
Funeral arrangements by the Bierman Funeral Home of Northfield.