Lundgren, Kenda Nimocks

(1943 – 2020) TOWSON, MD Sweet lovely Kenda passed away peacefully at home on September 6 at 77 years of age, succumbing to the ravages of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). She was born to Kenneth and Florence Nimocks in Richland Center, WI. After her father’s untimely passing from receiving a contaminated blood transfusion from the U.S. Army, her mother five years later met and married Loyd Goplin and the family moved to his farm in Blue River, WI. Leaving friends and the city behind were a challenge for Kenda. She graduated from Blue River High School where she excelled academically (National Honor Society), musically (pitch-perfect soprano and flute), and activities (interpretive poetry reading and cheer leader). Kenda studied at the University of Wisconsin – Platteville, but lack of finances caused her to withdraw. She then moved to Chicago and found fulfilling all the cultural qualities the city could offer. She worked for HMH Publishing and for Blair where she was the first woman in America to sell radio time. She also worked in public relations before moving with her husband Mark to Drexel Hill, PA where Kenda gave birth to and raised their son, Kristopher. Returning to school, Kenda earned an A.A.S. degree in Accounting from Delaware County Community College. She volunteered in support of many school activities, serving as President of the Aronimink Elementary Home and School Association, as a school aide to special needs students, and school board representative for the Upper Darby High School’s Home and School Association. Kenda also worked in administration and development at Philadelphia area colleges and universities. With Mark’s job change in 2001, the couple moved back to Chicago. There Kenda enrolled at Northwestern University and enjoyed museums, theater, fine dining, and ballroom dancing. She was a very accomplished cook with an extensive library of world-wide cuisine, which she so enjoyed trying.

Kenda always had a great knack for calming little children who were crying and upset. Whenever she encountered them, her soothing demeanor and recognition of their dilemmas would so engage them that the parents often would ask her if she would take them for a while. Mark called her the “baby whisperer.” She often would say she would love to simply be a “baby cuddler” in a maternity ward. Kenda was a sweet, kind, caring, loving, creative, artistic, “put together” independent lady and a stickler for playing by the rules. Kenda and Mark moved to Towson this year to be near their son and family. She was preceded in death by her father Kenneth Nimocks, her step-father Loyd Goplin, her mother Florence Goplin, her stepbrother Roger Goplin, and her sister Donna Burch (Tom). Kenda is survived by Mark, her husband of 42 years, their son Kristopher (Kate) of Dundalk, MD, three grandchildren, Freya, Chase, and Jane Lundgren, her sister Peggy Gralinski (Robert) of Wooster, OH, her brothers Randy Nimocks (Jan) of Blue River, WI, and Ken Nimocks (Trish) of Green Bay, WI, her step-brother Ed Goplin (Cheryl) of Mt. Horeb, WI, her sister-in-law Alana Lundgren Wassung (Robert) of Salem, CT, twenty-two nieces and nephews, and many grand nieces and nephews. Kenda was a registered organ and tissue donor, but due to the COVID-19 Pandemic her offer to donate could not be activated. The Ruck Funeral Home in Towson (https://www.ruckfuneral.com/obituary/ kenda-lundgren) is performing cremation and online memorial where you can leave your thoughts and well wishes for the family. A memorial service will be held at the Towson United Methodist Church on September 26th at 11:00 a.m. The family extends its sincere gratitude for the exceptional care Kenda received from her doctors and their staffs at Johns Hopkins Medicine (Dr. Samuel Durso, Dr. Jeffery Rothstein, and ALS Clinician Lora Clawson), as well as the ER team at St. Joseph Medical Center, and the home health care from Amedisys and Right at Home. In lieu of flowers, donations would be welcomed in Kenda’s memory to the ALS Association (https:// donate.als.org/give).

Sign Guest Book at legacy.suntimes.com