Kenneth William Umpierre

Kenneth "Kenny" William Umpierre, 49 of Hermantown passed away on the afternoon of September 26, 2014 with his loving family by his side, in Essential Health St. Mary's Medical Center, after suffering a sudden heart attack a week earlier. Ken was born in Manhattan, NY on October 13, 1964. He was the third child of Sharon Lee (Rude) and Manuel Umpierre, Jr. Kenny was a very quiet baby and smart enough to escape any barriers put in front of him. He was often caught wandering about, getting in various forms of potential trouble despite the best efforts of his parents. After escaping his playpen he was once discovered under a table of at least 5 adults, but not before he had completely covered himself head to toe in the black oil paint his mother used in her artwork. Kenny grew up the smartest of his parent's 4 children. He always strived to learn new things and could entertain himself for hours with the family encyclopedia set. Soon after graduating high school Ken joined the Navy where he proudly served on one of the last battleships in the US Navy Fleet. Ken was in the first crew of the re-commissioned Battleship USS Iowa, making him a "Plank Owner" of the ship that was to travel the entire world promoting the ideals of the United States. Ken always volunteered to execute the goodwill missions of the US Navy when they docked in foreign ports, such as helping out at orphanages, hospitals, and wherever there was a pressing need. The USS Iowa was the showpiece ship of the US Navy in the 1980s. Immediately after completing his enlistment, and despite not getting good grades in high school Ken was accepted by many of the most prestigious Universities in the country and chose to attend Evergreen College in Olympia, Washington. After coming back "home" to Esko Ken began attending Fond du Lac Community College where he met his soon to be wife, Carrie Misgen. They were instantly attracted to one another. He fell in love with her smile & incredible good looks and she fell in love with his infectious laugh & intelligence. They were married October 4, 1997. Soon thereafter "but not too soon" Carrie gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. Josephine was named after Ken's great grandmother, and instantly became one of the loves of Ken's life. In order to make room for their new and soon to be growing family Kenny and Carrie moved from their tiny house in Cloquet into an old Hermantown farmhouse with more than 100 acres. With all that extra room they soon decided to add another couple of little ones to their family. The two boys, Gabriel and Dominic proceeded to enjoy a lifestyle very similar to what their father had enjoyed 30 plus years earlier, playing outside together much as Ken and his sister Eli had done. Kenny taught the boys his love of the outdoors, hunting and playing with all types of machinery. Shortly after they were married, Kenny attained a degree in CNC machining from Lake Superior College and was a machinist for many years. After his machining career he became a journeyman Iron Worker for Local 512. Ken was preceded in death by his grandparents, Lillian and Herbert Rude; his grandparents, Marie Louisa and Manuel Umpierre Sr.; his great grandparents, John Johnson and Melvina Josephine Johnson; his great aunt and uncle, Alida and Roy Dissmore; his great grandparents; Tillie and Hans Rude; and his father-in-law, Noel Misgen. Ken is survived by his wife, Carrie; daughter, Josephine; sons, Gabriel and Dominic Umpierre all of Hermantown; parents, Manny and Sharon Umpierre Jr. of Esko; mother-in-law, Diane Misgen of Cloquet; brothers, Manny (Susan) Umpierre and Ricky Umpierre both of Esko; sister, Elisa (Lisa) Umpierre of Rochester; brother-in-law, Wayne (Del Marie) Misgen of Wrenshall; and all the loving St. Paul family he loved along with the rest of his family and friends in the northland. Donations for the Umpierre children may be sent on behalf of the family to any Wells Fargo location. Special thanks to nurses Jessamy and Greg and all the wonderful people at the St. Mary's CICU that helped make Ken's last moments as comfortable as possible. A Celebration of Life was held on Thursday, October 2, 2014 in Atkins-Northland Funeral Home, 801 14th Street, Cloquet. A luncheon followed in the Fireside Room of the funeral home. To sign the guest book and leave an online tribute, see www.atkinsnorthlandfuneralhome.com