Dee Kuykendall

Larry “Dee” Kuykendall, 73, of Independence, Iowa, died Tuesday, July 30, 2024, at his home in Independence.

A celebration of life will be held at the Hamilton Community Center, 110 E Main St. in Hamilton, Sunday, Sept. 15, from 1 to 5 p.m.

Another celebration of life was held Aug. 18 in Independence.

Dee was born Dec. 16, 1950, in Hamilton, the son of James E. and Ruby (Reynolds) Kuykendall. He attended the Hamilton Community Schools.

Dee went on to work many different jobs before he found his dream job. In 1977, he started driving a semi-truck. Dee made countless trips across the nation for more than 28 years and enjoyed seeing the sights.

On Nov. 13, 1980, Dee married Carolyn Hord-Reed. Carolyn passed away Jan. 6, 2005. They were married 25 years.

Dee moved to Independence in 2006 and later married Patricia A. (Summers) Thomas Sept. 14, 2013, at Teachers Park in Independence. They made their home in Independence, and Dee did his best to treat Patricia’s kids like they were his own.

He enjoyed spending time with his family, especially watching wrestling on TV with Joey.

Larry is preceded in death by his parents, James and Ruby Kuykendall, and three sisters, Cynthia Docherman ,Elsie Sommerfeld, and Joan Stegemoller.

He is survived by his wife, Patricia Kuykendall of Independence; a daughter, Angie; stepchildren, Shannon (Tracy) Summers of Manchester, Iowa, Kimberly (David) Coffelt of Oelwein, Iowa, Kristin (Tim) Cates of Buffalo, Wyoming, David (Wanda) Thomas of Albert Lea, Minnesota, Joseph, and Marvin Thomas, both of Independence; 13 grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; three sisters, June Crouch, Jayne Payne, and Ruby Yuner , all of Hamilton; a brother, Duane Kuykendall of Hamilton; brother-in-law Carl Summers of Independence; and many nieces and nephews.

To leave an online condolences, go to reifffamilycenter. com under obituaries.