Althea Edna (Issenmoyer) Kekker

Althea Edna Issermoyer Kekker (Age 99)

Early Tuesday morning 21 January 2020 (The Feast of Saint Agnes) Althea Kekker entered into eternal rest, ten days after suffering a fractured hip. She had resided at Silverado Memory Care in Alexandria, Virginia since May of 2018.

Born 4 November 1920 in Allentown, PA, Althea came to Washington in October 1941 as a government girl, working at the War Department until 1945/6. In 1948 she accepted a contract to work at the U.S. Army base in Heidelberg, Germany where she met the young and handsome SFC Michael Kekker of Canton, OH. They married in 1950 and in the next fifteen years lived in Louisville, KY, Washington, D.C. and Robinson Barracks near Stuttgart, Germany. Althea and Mike returned to Arlington in 1965, where they lived until Mike’s death in 2012 and Althea’s declining health in 2017.

Althea was employed for many years at the American Red Cross National Headquarters in Washington and particularly treasured her years at the Office of International Services.

A great Anglophile, Althea enjoyed the several trips she and Mike made over the years to different parts of England and Scotland.

Faithful Christians, Althea and Mike were involved with several Lutheran congregations over the decades and especially with St. Athanansius Lutheran Church, of which they were founding members.

Finally, Althea retained a deep love for the large extended family which had surrounded her as she grew up in Pennsylvania and missed them more and more as she grew older.

Althea’s final years on this earth were not entirely happy ones as her family members died and her mental and emotional health declined, but she was sustained throughout by the prayers and support of her Christian brothers and sisters at St. Athanasius Church, especially Pastor and Mrs. Douthwaite.

Her son, Michael, is profoundly grateful to the entire staff at Silverado Memory Care, every single one of whom took excellent care of Althea while exercising endless patience and affection. Michael also thanks the families of the other Silverado residents for their support, especially Paulette.

Althea’s funeral service, under the direction of St. Athanasius Lutheran Church, will take place on Thursday, January 30, 2020 at Everly Wheatley Funeral Home, located at 1500 W. Braddock Road, Alexandria, VA 22302. There will be a visitation from 11 a.m. until 12 p.m. The service will follow at 12 p.m.

She will be buried next to her husband, Mike, at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date.

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