Kim Warren Stahnke, age 73, died peacefully on August 23, 2023, with his wife and sister by his side, after a short but valiant battle with cholangiacarcinoma. He is survived by wife, Kathryn "Kathee" Cooper Stahnke, his cherished siblings, sister Barbara Jane (the late Cornelius) Van Diggelen, and twin brother Kirk Douglas (Susan) Stahnke; his mother-in-law, Carolynn Cooper, his 3 brothers-in-law, Brett (Janis) Cooper, Craig (Suzanne) Cooper, and Kurt (Bobette) Cooper, and one niece, eight nephews, and numerous great nieces and great nephews; 4 precious first cousins, Jill (the late Bob) Fisher, Gwen Stahnke, Sue (Ed) Liebenthal, and Kay (Paul) Dees, and their children and grandchildren; and 4 beloved second cousins, Gary (Nancy) Martin, Judy (Rick) Spencer, Linda (Don) Ramirez, and Karen (Don) Clark, and their children and grandchildren; and finally, a plethora of cousins he gained when he married Kathee but with one of whom and her husband, Susie (Miller) and Steve Cromwell, he and Kathee made incredible memories together.

Kim was born on Friday, January 13th, 1950 in Chicago Illinois to Warren Albert Stahnke and Beth Burstrom Stahnke, and spent his childhood in Arlington Heights, Illinois. He graduated from Northern Illinois University in June of 1972, with a degree in Meteorology, having developed an interest in weather and weather forecasting at an early age. With the encouragement of one of his college professors, he chose a commission in the United States Air Force as a way to combine his love of weather and aviation, and served as a Navigator in the 916th Air Refueling Squadron at Travis AFB with great skill, dedication and honor between 1973 and 1979, flying several important missions during the Viet Nam war, and making his home in Vacaville, CA. He made particularly good friends among the men and women with whom he served, and many of them have remained in his life all these years.

After leaving the Air Force, he was employed by Republic Airlines, which was later purchased by Northwest Airlines, as a Dispatcher in Flight Control at the airline headquarters in Minneapolis/St. Paul for several years. He developed rich and vibrant relationships there and he enjoyed and maintained friendships that could be dormant for long periods of time, and then with a phone call or a visit be revived to a vitality as if only a moment had passed.

He was enticed back to California by a construction management position that brought him and Kathee back to the same Vacaville neighborhood where they had previously lived, and they lived happily there for the next 37 years, although Kim eventually returned to employment back in the aviation industry that he loved, spending the years before his retirement employed at Iasco, a flight training school at the Napa Airport which trained pilots for Japan Airlines and later for China Airlines. Kim also made some wonderful friends there with whom he maintained warm and close contact up until his death.

He and Kathee met when she was invited to join Kim's childhood church's college youth group, and they then dated through college, marrying after graduation, on Friday the 13th of October, 1972. At the time of Kim's death, they had been married for 50 years and had celebrated each Friday the 13th that occurred over the years, considering that happenstance to be their own special holiday. They had recently bought the retirement home of their dreams in Lincoln CA on Kim's birthday, Friday the 13th of January, 2023 and had just moved and settled in at the beginning of May when Kim's illness became apparent.

Kim was a skilled handyman, fix-it guy, cook and baker, and was convinced he could build or fix or create anything he set his mind to. He was a strong believer in "just read the instructions and use some common sense." He got as much pleasure out of baking a decadent chocolate cake as he did out of designing and installing an elaborate landscape sprinkler system, or building an elaborate lighted stairway up the backyard hill. He had a quiet and quirky sense of humor, and his eyes would often twinkle with amusement at himself, but when he laughed, he really laughed, with his whole body, and it was impossible not to laugh along.

He was a proud  citizen of the United States and celebrated every day of citizenship by flying his American flag proudly and pestering his sister (and others) by calling her on every National holiday to make sure that she had put out her flag to commemorate the day. He got teary eyed every time he saw a color guard present arms, and choked up at every singing of the Star Spangled Banner. He was proud to say that he voted in every election, and he and Kathee treated the occasion like a date…voting and then going out to dinner to celebrate afterward.

He had a love of and fascination for words and puzzles and prided himself as one of the last guys in the neighborhood to still get a daily newspaper. He was a ruthless "Words With Friends" player, had several crossword puzzles going at a time, and was constantly sharing the "word of the day" with whomever he met. His favorite word to describe himself was "avuncular" and those who knew him well agreed that it fit him perfectly, although he was also affectionately known as "Mr. QuickenHead," "APM#1," and "Cabana Boy."

He started every day with a 5 mile walk with his faithful dog Bentley, and was a tried and true fan of the Chicago Cubs, which was only a small indication of the depth of his loyalty once earned. He was the epitome of a true friend, and a man of unwavering tenacity and commitment, and it was returned to him in abundance in his last days as friends and family near and far came to be with him, to share a memory, give him a hug, shake his hand, and bless him on his final journey. He lived his life with curiosity, appreciation and love; faced his illness with honesty and bravery; and met his death with dignity.

He was incredibly proud of his time of service in the US Air Force and per his wishes he will be interred at the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery.

A memorial service with be held on October 13, 2023 11:30 A.M at Vaca Hills Chapel Funeral Home. Burial will follow at the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery.