Dee Kamler

(From Simpson Funeral Home)

Delores (Dee) M. Kamler passed away peacefully at the age of 92 in the early morning of October 7, 2024 at the Westgate at Wildwood Ranch nursing home in Joplin, MO.

Dee was born to Sidney and Carrie Harris on February 7, 1932, and spent her early years living on a farm in Ravenna, MI. At the age of 10, her family moved into town, where she graduated from Ravenna High School in 1950. 

She married John Stadler, also of Ravenna, on December 4, 1950. Dee worked as an office assistant for Dr. Beachnau in Ravenna for several years where she loved helping people, and, while John was in the Navy, at the Stadler family-owned hardware store in Ravenna. She went on to attend the Muskegon School of Business and put her education to work as a bookkeeper and administrative assistant in various jobs over her lifetime.

Dee and John had three children: Cindy (Ronald) LaMere of Webb City, John (Kathy) Stadler of Olympia, WA, and Robert (Jill) Stadler of Buffalo, MO.

Dee, John, and the family moved to an old farmhouse in Allendale, MI, where they raised pigs, chickens, cows, and horses. Christmas trees, and even a field of cucumbers to send to the pickle plant in Ravenna. She was an avid gardener in those years, canning and freezing enough fruits and vegetables to feed her family for the coming year.

In 1968, the family pulled up stakes and moved to Champion, in Michigan’s beautiful Upper Peninsula. While in Champion, she worked at a furniture store for several years in nearby Ishpeming and owned and operated the Village Market in Champion from 1971 to 1975.

Dee also enjoyed remodeling old houses, which they did to the houses in Allendale and Champion. She would remodel just about every home she lived in, often moving shortly after the remodel was complete. For example, she put the last coat of paint in the living room in Allendale after the furnishings were packed for the move to Champion!

In 1977, after the children had graduated from high school, Dee and John moved to Joplin, MO, and operated Stadler-LaMere accounting until they were divorced in 1984.

After the divorce, Dee found solace and happiness in riding horses with friends. During this time, Dee worked as a bookkeeper at the Webb City Sentinel. She loved working there and interacting with the public. Her coworkers became dear friends (especially the owners, Bob and Ann Foos). While at the Sentinel, Dee met her second husband, Curtis Kamler, a retired industrial arts teacher.

Dee and Curtis were married in January 1992. She welcomed Curtis’s two sons, Larry (Paula) Kamler of Webb City and Bill (Kathy) Kamler of Columbus, MO, and their children into her family with open arms. Dee and Curtis happily spent the next 21 years together until Curtis’ death in 2013. During that time, they travelled across the country in their motor home visiting areas as wide spread as Miami, FL and Olympia, WA. They really enjoyed their time on the road and especially enjoyed traveling south for the winter, be it to Texas or Florida where they would make friends at each stop they made. They were always open to adventure as illustrated by the trip they made to Central America to visit her son John and his wife Kathy at a remote research laboratory on the Pacific Coast of Panama. While there, she provided much needed comfort to two young American men who had just lost a friend in a tragic accident.

Dee had a big heart and always welcomed new members to the family, regardless of where they came from. She was deeply loved by her family and took special pride in, and great delight in visiting, all of her many grandchildren and great grandchildren, who called her “Meme” or “Grandma Dee”.

During her last few years, Dee was doted upon by her two oldest grandaughters, Carrie Mayes and Melodee Long, both of Webb City. They kept her social calendar full and ensured that she was receiving the care she needed. The family is eternally grateful for the love and attention they paid to their beloved “Meme”, which enriched her final years.

Dee and Curtis were longtime members of the First Baptist Church in Webb City.

Dee was preceded in death by her husband Curtis, her daughter Cindy and son-in-law Ronald, her parents Sidney and Carrie, her brother Louis Harris, her great-granddaughter Marlee Long, two grandsons Aaron Stadler and John Stadler, and her ex-husband John Stadler.

She is survived by her two sons Robert and John and their spouses; her stepsons Larry and Bill and their spouses; her younger sister Darlene Maycroft of Iron Mountain, MI, and too many grandchildren, great grandchildren, nieces and nephews to count.

A time of visitation will be welcomed on Monday, October 14, 2024, at 12:00 pm at Wellspring Church, located at 2424 North Main Street Road, Webb City. This will be followed by a funeral service at 1:00 pm with Scott Smith officiating.

Services for Dee are are under the personal care and direction of Simpson Funeral Home. The family encourages relatives and friends to visit www.simpsonfh.com to share photos and memories of Dee.