William Edward Klinkenberg passed away peacefully at home on November 27, 2022, in the loving care of his devoted family and healthcare professionals. He was born in Basehor, Kansas, to George Simon Nicholas and Naomi (Hill) Klinkenberg, one of five children. He weighed over ten pounds at birth, which prompted the doctor to call him a real Buster, and the nickname stuck. He graduated from Basehor High School in 1953, where he was a stand-out in track, basketball, and six-man football.
He met the love of his life, Marilyn Robin, in the summer of 1956. He enlisted in the Army in September 1957, then he and Marilyn wed in Basehor on Christmas Eve. They lived in Germany during most of his service in the Army, then they returned to Basehor after he was discharged.
He worked for Wilson and Company for 38 years, where he began as a vacation relief clerk at the Kansas City plant and finished his tenure with the company as operations manager of the plant in Marshall, Missouri. After leaving Wilson Foods, he was the proprietor of two Amoco service stations in the Kansas City area.
In retirement, he indulged his love for softball, playing several days a week and organizing teams for tournaments. In 2005, he and his teammates on The Antiques of Kansas City won the national championship in the Senior Softball World Series 70-plus Division. He served on the board of directors for the Kansas City Metropolitan Senior Softball League for many years. The organization named the Bill Klinkenberg Draft League in his honor. He also served several terms on the Board of Directors for the Greystone Estates South Homeowners Association.
He had a competitive spirit and enjoyed bowling and playing bridge and other card games, and especially enjoyed beating his children at ping pong during the family holiday tournaments. He was outgoing and friendly and could make fast friends with a stranger while waiting in line for a burger. He enjoyed a good political debate and while he didn’t flinch at challenging people, he always did so with respect.
He is survived by his beloved wife Marilyn; his four children, Cynthia Lynn (Robert) Weir, Theresa Kay (Alexander) Gordzica, William Dean (John Mullarkey) Klinkenberg, and Kevin Mark (Jamie Andersen) Klinkenberg; three grandchildren, Andrew Bradley Weir, Alice Eden Klinkenberg Andersen, and Noelle Renee Klinkenberg Andersen; two step-grandchildren, Alexander Michael Gordzica and Christina Elizabeth (Ryan) Elder; three great-grandchildren; and two brothers, John Klinkenberg of Basehor, Kansas, and James Klinkenberg of Suwanee, Georgia. He was preceded in death by his parents, his brother George Earl Klinkenberg, and his sister Carrie Mae Klinkenberg Kirk.
Visitation will be Wednesday, November 30, from noon to 2pm at Porter Funeral Home in Lenexa (8535 Monrovia). Rosary will be prayed at 10:15 a.m. with Funeral services following at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, December 1, at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Lenexa (13615 W. 92nd Street). Burial with Military Honors will follow at Glenwood Cemetery in Basehor, KS. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Klinkenberg Scholarship Fund at the Basehor-Linwood Education Foundation or the ALS Association.