Erwin Kieckhefer Obituary from Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Obituary from Milwaukee Journal SentinelErwin Kieckhefer, who began his newspaper career as a copy editor at the Milwaukee Sentinel and went on to become editorial page editor at the Memphis Commercial Appeal, died of cancer July 19 in Lombard, Ill. He was 91. "He was an opinionated guy, perfect for an editorial writer," his son Robert Kieckhefer said Monday. "He had an inquiring mind, always badgering reporters to find out what they knew so he could write better editorials." He was born June 27, 1915, in Milwaukee and graduated from Boys' Technical High School. After attending the University of Wisconsin in Madison, where he was night editor at The Daily Cardinal, he became a copy editor for the Milwaukee Sentinel in 1936. He was a reporter and copy editor with the United Press Association (now United Press International) in Milwaukee in 1937 and in the UP Central Division headquarters in Chicago from 1938 to 1941. He then joined the staff of the Minneapolis Star as a reporter and copy editor. Kieckhefer spent an academic term as a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University in 1942 and 1943 before becoming the assistant editorial page editor of the Minneapolis Tribune. He became farm editor for the Courier-Journal of Louisville, Ky., in 1948, editor of the Daily Plainsman in Huron, S.D., in 1959 and joined the Commercial Appeal in 1960, working as an editorial writer before becoming the paper's editorial page editor. After he retired in 1983, he moved to Wauwatosa, where he lived until 2002. While retired, he traveled in Europe, writing about developments in the European Union and the reunification of Germany. In 2002, he published a book, "The Castrated Beaver," which was a critical look at Canadian-U.S. relations. "He was happiest in knowing that some of the things he wrote about helped changed the world and that he changed people's minds about things," his son said. "He was very proud of that." Kieckhefer, who was preceded in death by his wife, Virginia, is survived by another son, Richard Kieckhefer. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. today at Schmidt & Bartelt Funeral Home, 10121 W. North Ave., Wauwatosa. Interment will be Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. at Evergreen Cemetery in Manitowoc.
