Kern County CA Obituary Project Obituaries.....Klingenberg , Oris Don August 1, 2005 ********************************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/obits/obitsca/obitsca.htm ********************************************************** File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: K T bluewolf@onemain.com August 5, 2005, 9:05 pm The Bakersfield Californian Klingenberg, Oris Don 1916 - 2005 Oris Don Klingenberg 1/31/1916 - 8/1/2005 A graveside service will be conducted by Peters Funeral Home for Don Klingenberg on Saturday, August 6, 2005, at 10am, at Shafter Memorial Park; followed by a memorial service at 11 a.m., at Shafter Mennonite Brethren Church. Don was born January 31, 1916, went home to be with the Lord, August 1, 2005, at the age of 89. He was one of five brothers born to August and Marie Klingenberg of Loveland, CO. At the age of 2 the family moved to McFarland where August had a service station and Marie made and sold sandwiches. About 10 years later the family moved to Santa Ana where Don completed elementary and high school. He played saxophone in the school band. He attended one semester of junior college. Don's grandfather August laid most of the sidewalks in Downtown and East Bakersfield. Don moved to Shafter in the middle 30's, where he and Waldo Unruh opened the Klingenberg and Unruh Service Station at 5-Points in Shafter, where the "McDonalds" now sits. In 1935, Don met the love of his life, Rosella Heinrich on a blind date and were married on November 21, 1937. They were married four months short of their 68th wedding anniversary. After serving in the Air Force in WWII, they settled back into civilian life at Norwalk, CA for a short period, but returned to Shafter to work for E.J. Peters Maple Leaf Farms as sales manager for Ford Tractor sales where he won various awards for outstanding sales. In 1959, Don teamed up with Wes Funk in Wasco to form Wasco Motor Sales, the local Dodge and Rambler dealer. He was known as Don the Dodge Dealer. At the dealership he was awarded numerous awards for sales and service. Don and Wes closed the dealership in 1971, but Don remained open as Don's Auto Sales, used car dealer. He was always known for fair and honest dealings. Don retired at the age of 72, so he and Rosella could spend more time touring with their friends in their motor homes. They traveled throughout the United States and into Canada. Don was always known for washing his own cars and keeping them spotless. Don and Rosella were very active with their children in the Maple area, serving with Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, and 4-H. Don was very active in the Shafter and Wasco Mennonite Churches. He sang in the choir and in the men's choirs, including the Mennonite West Coast Chorus and loved to play his saxophone in church. He also held various positions with the church over the years. Don was active in the Wasco Kiwanis Club, which he served as president for one term. Survivors are his wife, Rosella of nearly 68 years; daughter, Janet of Santa Cruz; son, Bob and wife, Connie; grandchildren, Robby of San Francisco, Ashlee of Bakersfield, and daughter, Linda and Gary of Los Osos; brother, Eldon and wife, Edith of Fullerton, brother, Dick and wife, Marilyn of Oregon, and nephew, Gary of Oroville and many cousins. All donations may be made to the Shafter Mennonite Church Building Fund in memory of Don Klingenberg. Peters Funeral Home-Shafter Legacy.com Published in the Bakersfield Californian on 8/5/2005. Additional Comments: Volunteer submission - No relation to deceased. Obituaries http://www.legacy.com/bakersfield/LegacyHome.asp File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ca/kern/obits/klingenb8649gob.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/caobfiles/ File size: 3.9 Kb