Kenneth “Kenny” Franklin Moncrief, age 86, died peacefully in his home on Wednesday, October 18, 2023, surrounded by his family.

     Graveside services will be Monday, November 6, 2023 at 10:30 A.M. at Greenwood Cemetery in Sidney, NE.  Cremation has been held.  Immediately following will be a gathering at the Lodgepole Valley Youth Camp in Sidney. 

In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to be made in his name to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105 (www.stjude.org) or The Wild Animal Sanctuary, 2999 County Road 53, Keenesburg, CO 80643 (www.wildanimalsanctuary.org).

            You may view Ken’s Book of Memories, leave condolences, photos and stories at www.gehrigstittchapel.com.  Gehrig-Stitt Chapel & Cremation Service, LLC is in charge of Ken’s care and funeral arrangements.

     Ken was born July 31, 1937, in Sterling, CO to Esther Marie (Morris) Moncrief and Raymond William Moncrief, and grew up there with five sisters: Wanda, Marilyn, Delores, Judy and Carol. He spoke fondly of the summers he spent with his grandparents, Benjamin Franklin and Sophie (Nolte) Morris on their farm in Elwood, NE. When Ken was in junior high school, he wrote his goals: to attend college, to teach accounting or business management, to get married and to “have children and a nice home with a loving wife.” He accomplished and excelled at all of these things.

     In high school, he sang in the choir, took modern dance, and played football, basketball, and tennis. His buddies called him “twinkle toes” and “poor devil.” He graduated from Sterling High School in 1955 and matriculated to the University of Northern Colorado on a football scholarship. After a four-year break (during which he worked at Stickney’s, worked as a lifeguard and managed the Sterling Municipal Pool), he returned to school at Western State University in Gunnison, CO where he earned his B.A. in Business Administration in 1964 and an M.A. in Business Education in 1969. He earned additional credits from Oklahoma State University, Utah State University, and the University of Nebraska. He served in the Colorado Army National Guard as a U.S. artilleryman for six years from 1959 until 1965 and was honorably discharged at the rank of Sergeant.

     Ken met the love of his life, Marilyn Hall, who was a pretty cheerleader in Sterling, CO, in 1960. He would ride his bicycle to her house and return to town with her on the handlebars to take her to the movies. They married on May 27, 1962 in Sterling and lived in Gunnison until he finished his degree. Marilyn confirmed that “they couldn’t stand to be apart.” Ken taught elementary school P.E. for one year in Fowler, CO before they moved to Sidney in 1964 and made their home there.

    He loved teaching and relished its daily challenges and rewards. He taught general business, business law, accounting, and economics at Sidney High School for 32 years, from 1965 to 1997, where he also coached football and basketball and sponsored the Future Business Leaders of America club. Many of his students have gone on to have successful businesses and credit him for teaching them. When asked what he liked so much about teaching, he always smiled and said, “the kids.”

     He had a generous spirit and a creative streak, and his children were often the beneficiaries— he salvaged a pony cart that he pulled around the block with all the laughing neighborhood kids in tow, built a playhouse (complete with a drawbridge and loft), brought home a carnival truck filled with games, and built a front yard snow mountain to ski down. He did not hesitate to whip up milkshakes, skateboard down a hill, or climb past the tree line.

     He loved the mountains. He and his high school best friend, Bill Weatherill, dreamed of a place in the Rockies. Bill bought the land and Ken built an A-frame cabin in Fraser, CO. Both of their families spent many happy summers there enjoying hiking, the fire-pit, and each other’s company.

     He loved sailing. While it might seem incongruous in the land-locked panhandle of Nebraska, he taught himself and his family to sail at the North Sterling Reservoir. There, they skimmed the water, got sunburned, and had great adventures.

     He loved woodworking. His children and grandchildren have never had to resort to assemble-your-own furniture but instead enjoy his hand-crafted work including a cradle (embossed with a heart and hand-turned spindles), rocking horses, and desks.

     He loved stamp collecting and was a life-long philatelist who had a keen eye for detail and categorization. His family and friends all learned to save every envelope, and every stamp, so he could add it to his collection.

     He loved Bassett Hounds and took pleasure in their company, getting down on the floor to brush and cuddle his furry friends. Heaven must be full of Basset Hounds —Hamlet, Murphy, Winston, and Riley— who are so happy to see him again.

     Most of all, he loved his wife and children, fiercely and with all his heart. He adored his wife Marilyn, who he called “Mary.” Their 61-year marriage was a continuing love story. He gave Marilyn a pendant that said, on one side, “I loved you then” and on the other, “I still do” and lived this every day, cherishing her and his family. He loved being a father and treasured his “three beautiful children,” Kate, who he called “darlin,” Brad, who he called “Mr. B.” and Gretchen who he called “Pooh.”

     He is survived by his wife Marilyn; his daughter Kathryn Moncrief-Fox and her husband Brendon Fox of Shrewsbury, MA; his son Bradley Moncrief and partner Lisa Philips of Omaha, NE; his daughter Gretchen Wilson and husband Curtis, and granddaughter Emma of North Richland Hills, TX; his granddaughter Kenna Cangiano, husband Jonny and great grandchildren Dean and Hazel of Bridgeport, TX; his sisters Judy Schrader and husband Karl of Flagstaff, AZ and Carol Diest and husband Edison of Kalamazoo, MI; and many nieces and nephews.