Kenneth Allen Juillerat, 82, Columbia City, entered the gates of heaven surrounded by his family at Lutheran Hospital on Jan. 21, 2019. He had an undeniable strength in battling two cancers the last 15 years.

He was born in Whitley County on April 6, 1936. He was the son of Donald and Orpha (Gradeless) Juillerat. His formative years were spent in the Larwill area where he graduated from Larwill High School in 1954.

He served in the U.S. Army, stationed in Kaiserslautern, Germany where he met his wife of 60 years of marriage, Gisela. They were united in marriage on May 19, 1959. After being honorably discharged from the Army, he returned to the area, opened a welding shop and started his farming career. He also worked for Dana Weatherhead, Columbia City and had also received his Computer Programming Degree.

As a lifetime farmer with his son Mike, his work ethic was incredible. Mr. Juillerat was known for “His Stories”, about the past and things that had happened. He was known for always being able to fix anything and his ingenuity in doing so.

He was a loving, hard working husband, father and grandfather. Kenny always put his family first and would do anything for them.  He enjoyed spending his free time with his family. Sometimes going for drives and always ending up stopping for ice cream. He also enjoyed his family trips to Germany. His family saw him as their hero.

Kenny Juillerat is survived by his wife Gisela, Columbia City; son, Michael Allen Juillerat (Debbie), Columbia City; daughter, Lori Ann Juillerat-Kreider, Columbia City; granddaughter, Tiffany Chanel Rohrer (Landon), Columbia City; brother-in-law, Dieter Petry, Kaiserslautern, Germany; brother-in-law, Karl Petry (Marianne), Kaiserslautern, Germany.

In addition to his parents he was preceded in death by a sister, Linda Dingus; a brother, James Juillerat;  a brother, Rex Juillerat; and a granddaughter, Stephanie Michelle Kreider.

The funeral service is 2 p.m. Saturday at Smith & Sons Funeral Home, Columbia City. Burial is at Adams Cemetery. Visitation is noon until the service Saturday at the funeral home.

Preferred memorials are to Cancer Services of Northeast Indiana.

Online condolences may be sent to www.smithandsonsfuneralhome.com.