Ann C. Kuehl

Ann Cecelia Kuehl, 83, of Eldridge, Iowa, died Wednesday, May 21, 2025 at Ridgecrest Village, Davenport, Iowa, with her family by her side.

Funeral services will be held at 10:00 A.M, Saturday, May 24, 2025 at Faith Lutheran Church in Eldridge. Burial will be in Durant Cemetery in Durant, Iowa. Visitation will be held from 4:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. on Friday, May 23rd, at the church. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Faith Lutheran Church or the Eldridge Volunteer Fire Department. Chambers Funeral Home in Eldridge is assisting the family with arrangements.

Ann was born May 28, 1941 in Davenport, Iowa, the daughter of Harold (Doc) and Lola (Homrighausen) Roehlk of New Liberty, Iowa. She attended Bennett High School until the family moved to Durant, Iowa where she was a 1959 graduate of Durant High School. She never forgot her friends and classmates from Bennett and celebrated many reunions with them over the years.

Ann was united in marriage to Wesley W. Kuehl on July 9, 1961 in Davenport and moved to the family farm.

Ann had a lifelong passion for reading, which she instilled in her children. Summers were spent making weekly trips to the library to check out stacks of books for the week. In later years, her vast knowledge of literature and history made her a top choice as a team member by her children’s teenage friends for the Trivial Pursuit games that took place at the farm.

Ann was an exceptionally talented seamstress. She made clothing for her children, their baby dolls and Barbie dolls, christening dresses for friends and relatives, and a wedding dress for her niece. She learned how to oil paint and worked for many years tinting portraits and formal wedding photos for Misfeldt Photography. She taught herself how to knit and crochet, making numerous sweaters and other items for her entire family. As an employee of Hockenberg’s Restaurant Supply, she made the iconic striped head scarves and aprons for the waitresses at Happy Joe’s Pizza Parlor, including for their store in Egypt.

Ann took classes for porcelain painting and launched her company “Dolls by Ann.” She made porcelain dolls from start to finish: pouring, firing, painting, and dressing hundreds of dolls. She also created hundreds of porcelain figurines and ornaments that customers returned for year after year. Her replicas of German Knotter dolls were highly sought throughout the Midwest. Wes became her best employee, polishing thousands of porcelain pieces with the sanding machine he created.

When the Coldwater Creek clothing store announced a store opening at Northpark Mall, Ann decided to give her fashion skills a chance and was hired as their first saleswoman. Ann loved working with the customers to find the perfect outfit complete with accessories for their special event. She became the go-to person for many customers due to her ability to match their visions with clothing from the store. She became great friends with many of her co-workers and continued to socialize with them after her “retirement.”

After Wes was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, they moved from the farm to a condominium in Eldridge, where she lovingly cared for him until his death.

Those left to honor her memory include her daughters and sons-in-law, Jayne & Michael Dant of Bartonville, Illinois, Joni & Jim Schneider of Long Grove, Iowa, and Mary Beth & David Heimendinger of Scarville, Iowa; her son and daughter-in-law, Matthew & Mary Kay Kuehl of Powell, Ohio; her grandchildren, Anna and Jamie Schneider, Adam (Parul Arora) Heimendinger, Zoe Heimendinger, and Kathryn and Lola Kuehl; her sister Cheryl Huesmann and many nieces and nephews.

Ann was preceded in death by her husband Wesley, her parents, her brother Ronald Roehlk and sister Rhea Krummel, and her beloved dog and Wes’ faithful companion Sammy the Cairn Terrier.

The family is grateful for the care provided to Ann by Home Instead, Grand Haven, the Kahl Home, Ridgecrest Village and especially Heartland Hospice.