Kit E. Kraabel
Kit Edward Kraabel
February 19th, 1963 – November 18th, 2025
*Author’s Note: The following excerpts in our “Life Stories” are from the Celebration of Life service for Kit Kraabel for you to read, reflect, and pay your respects privately. It was an honor to learn about Kit and to serve his family. The closest of his loved ones gathered for a special celebration of his life at Strawberry Creek where stories, tears, and laughs were shared along with a buffet of Kit’s favorites. He will be dearly missed by many.
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We gather here today with gratitude for the wonderful life lived by Kit and broken hearts because he is no longer a physical presence in our lives. We have a powerful sense of loss. Where we are experiencing his loss- a missing piece- Kit is experiencing completeness- wholeness. May you know in your hearts that his journey is complete, he is home now in the loving embrace of our Lord in heaven. He is reunited with the loved ones he had been missing including his parents, Dick and Lorraine, his brothers, Kurt, Kevin, and Klay, and his sweet dog, Coco. He is surrounded by love.
And while the broken pieces of your heart will never quite be the same, know that Kit would not want your heart to be troubled. May you find comfort in sweet memories, may you find peace in the ways you find him to still be a part of your present, and may you find hope in being reunited with him some day in the kingdom of God.
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I met Deni a few weeks ago to plan this service. As I explained to her what I do, she said, yes, explain that at the service. I officiate weddings and funerals, and at first glance they may seem like polar opposites. However, they have proven to be remarkably similar. Weddings and funerals are both celebrations of how much you love somebody. When I marry a young couple, the goal is to, decades down the line, get to a day like this and celebrate that you spent a lifetime with that person and how much they meant to you. Of course, the emotions differ for each event, but they are both fundamentally celebrations of love. The Kraabel family has had so much to celebrate this year. Kit’s daughter, Katie, and Kit’s son, Kody, each had fabulous wedding celebrations that Kit was able to participate in. Those events were filled with love, with hope, and with family. And while today’s event is happening many years sooner than anyone would like, today is still a celebration filled with love, hope, and family. This gathering is a beautiful testament to a wonderful life lived by Kit, and a celebration of how much he was loved by family and friends.
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Deni explained how meaningful the word “Hallelujah” was to her and Kit. The term embodies hope, thankfulness, relief, praise, gratitude, and love. And we can think of the song, “Hallelujah,” that Pentatonix made so popular. Well, long before pop culture made them famous, when they were merely performing in churches around Chicagoland, Kit and Deni loved Pentatonix. Before I play that song, I want to share with you this message from Kit’s dear wife:
“Hallelujah is very fitting because Kit and I met through church youth group in Chicago. Hallelujah is what my folks said when they found out I was dating a good Lutheran boy and hallelujah is what Kit’s folks said when they found out he was dating Ed Effertz daughter and she was a good girl! We dated through high school and college and got married after I graduated. Hallelujah is what we said after surviving our first apartment in the slums of Cook County with the car blowing up outside our windows and hallelujah is what we said when we moved up and out to the suburbs. Hallelujah again when we both took jobs traveling, and oh how we traveled! We traveled the entire United States, Canada, France, Belgium, Caribbean Islands, and Mexico, and had a wonderful life in the fast lane. Hallelujah is what we said after eight years of trying to have Kody, finally getting pregnant, and not knowing it! Hallelujah is what we said when our second child came even though she was born with spinal meningitis. Hallelujah is what we said when she survived. Hallelujah is what I said when Oksana came and joined our family. She was my angel to help me with the kids while Kit traveled coast to coast. Hallelujah is what we said when Kit collapsed and was taken to a hospital in Illinois by uncle Klay and diagnosed with necrosing pancreatitis. We were all called in to his bedside after 3 months in the hospital as he was not expected to survive. Hallelujah. That was in 2010. Hallelujah is what we said when he made it to the kids’ high school graduation and then their college graduations, too. Hallelujah is what we said when he made it to Kody‘s wedding to Ellyn and Autumn, and then hallelujah- Kadie and Zach’s wedding- even walking a bit down the aisle and dancing. Boy, he had fun on that scooter! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! He had such a spirit, and I know now through the good and the bad we all did love him with all our heart. Hallelujah! Kit, now you’re in heaven, finally at peace. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. All our love, hallelujah.”
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Kit was born the youngest of 4 brothers on February 19th, 1963, in Chicago, IL. He was a talented swimmer and president of his high school Letterman Club. Kit met Deni at a church youth group and become high school sweethearts. They married in 1986 and moved across the border to Kenosha, WI where they welcomed 2 children into the world. Kit and Deni also unofficially adopted Oksana, an au pair from Ukraine who lived with the family for many years.
He had the gift of the gab and was well-suited for sales. He could talk about anything from business to sports and make everyone feel welcome in his presence. Kit retired from a successful career as a precision metrology tools salesman. His favorite place was Little Green Lake, WI, and he cherished precious times there. He loved bird watching and viewing his bird camera. He greatly enjoyed working with his hands in his garden.
While embracing life outside of the city, Kit kept his intense love for the Cubbies and Chicago hot dogs. Kit loved food and sharing mealtimes filled with stories, smiles, and laughter. He’d make lefse and Kraabel tacos. If you know, you know. During his last moments, he shared dessert with his family and was even asking for “more whip cream, please.” Kit embodied a unique blend of grit and humor with just the right touch of sarcasm. He could make any situation funny and put those around him at ease while not making anyone feel like the brunt of the joke.
Kit’s love and devotion to his wife and children defined his life. Despite his declining health this past year, Kit rallied all his strength to be present at both of his children’s weddings, to walk his daughter down the aisle, and to see the ultrasounds of his new grandson. Family was everything to him. Thanks to the wonderful team at hospice, Kit and the family had a blessed weekend together before he passed. It was truly a beautiful farewell.
Kit was a very important person in everyone’s life. He meant something special to each of you and there are countless stories to tell. Please continue to share the memories, share the love today and in the days and years to come. Learn the lessons, look to the good times, and carry forth Kit’s legacy of devotion and love.
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Kit was reading a book, Hope for Each Day, and his bookmark was on this page.
The Brightness of God’s Love
My flesh and my heart fail; but God is the strength of my heart. Psalm 73:26
Trouble will not hurt us unless it does what many of us too often allow it to do- harden us, making us sour, bitter, and skeptical. But it need not be this way. Troubles we bear trustfully can bring us a fresh vision of God and a new outlook on life- an outlook of peace and hope.
If we make our troubles an opportunity to learn more of God’s love and His power to aid and bless, then they will teach us to have a firmer confidence in His providence. As a result, the brightness of His love will fill our lives.
Learn to trust God with a child-like dependence on Him as your loving heavenly Father and no trouble can destroy you. In those darkest hours before the Cross Jesus could still say, “I am not alone, because the Father is with Me” (John 16:32).
The same is true for you. Even in that last dark hour of death, when your flesh and your heart fail, you will be able to depend in peace upon Him who “is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
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It does seem like Kit’s 62 years went by way too quickly. While no length of time with our loved ones will ever seem long enough, know that it was an absolute blessing to have had Kit present on this earth for over 6 decades. His time here and his time spent with each of you was a precious gift. When your world is feeling a little too empty, may you fill it with gratitude that your time here overlapped with Kit’s and that you were blessed to know him.
Kit will be forever loved and missed by his dear wife Deni, his children Kody, Katie, and Oksana and their families, his 2 grandchildren Autumn and Taliesin, his dog Cinnamon, and many other dear family members and friends.
Kit had a strong faith and a strong spirit that would not, did not die.
And let’s celebrate that- let’s celebrate all of that- God’s saving grace, Kit’s lasting impact on each of you, life, love, Hallelujah!
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Kit, may you rest in eternal peace knowing you are dearly loved.
My sincere condolences and love, Holly