Erna Mary Kagele

Erna Mary Kagele

March 19, 1934 – Aug. 13, 2025

Erna Mary Kagele passed away peacefully on August 13, 2025, in Kennewick, Wash.

Born in Addy, Wash, on March 19, 1934 to Henry and Ida Pein, Erna was raised on a dairy farm along with her siblings Herman, Martha, Dorothy and Margaret, all of whom precede her in death. Erna graduated from Jenkins High School in 1952 and made her way to Spokane for beauty school.

Upon completion she accepted a job in Ritzville. A friend invited her to a party where she met Melvin Kagele. The couple were married on Sept. 12, 1954, and engaged in a lifetime of wheat...