Stephen A. Engelken, 85, Seneca, died Sunday, March 15, 2015 at Crestview Nursing & Residential Living in Seneca.

He was born on a farm southwest of St. Benedict on September 20, 1929 to Albert H. and Helen Fangman Engelken. He attended school in St. Benedict and graduated from St. Mary’s High School in 1947. He attended Benedictine College in Atchison; and Stephen enlisted on July 22, 1951. He served as a Statistical Specialist with the rank of Sergeant in United States Air Force during the Korean War. He was stationed in Denver, Colorado and Wiesbaden, Germany.

He married Ingrid Elsa Maria Graff in Germany; to this union was born a child. The couple later divorced. Stephen married Helen Eileen Fisher, she preceded him in death.

After his service to his country Stephen worked for National Farmers Union Insurance in Denver. He was recruited by the Martin Marietta Company, also in Denver, and was employed with them for approximately five years. He moved to Slidell, Louisiana located just 16 miles from the Mississippi State Line; and was employed by General Electric. He later worked for Goodwill Industries. Also while living in the south, he worked for NASA at their base in Mississippi. During his time in Louisiana, in addition to his “day jobs,” he owned two bars, The Pontchartrain Lounge and The Office. He owned the bars for approximately 10 years. He retired in 1996, at the age of 67. He enjoyed fishing, at a Lake close to his home in Slidell. All that ended in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina hit the coast of Louisiana, including Slidell and Stephen’s home, he lost everything. It was then that Stephen returned to Nemaha County and made Seneca his home. On August 4, 2011 Stephen was in a roll-over car accident where he lost his arm. He resided at Crestview Nursing & Residential Living for the past 3 ½ years.

Stephen was a past American Legion Commander and a member of Sts. Peter & Paul Catholic Church.

Besides his parents and wife, he was preceded in death by a sister, Irene Lawrence; and a step-son, Blaine Harden.

He is survived by brothers, Quentin Engelken of Seneca, Rene Engelken of Prairie Village, Kansas, Virgil Engelken of Seneca, Linus Engelken of Bucyrus, Kansas, Thomas Engelken of Topeka; sisters, Georgina Glissman of Seneca, Constance Hermesch of Seneca, Rita Kastens of Topeka, Lois Kuckelman of Axtell and Joan Engelken of Topeka; a son, Kevin Engelken of Germany; and step-children, Robert Harden of Iowa, Carla Hamilton of Arkansas and Colleen Barker of Arkansas.

A Rosary will be prayed at 2 PM on Monday, March 16th at the Lauer Funeral Home in Seneca. The Mass of Christian Burial will be 11 AM on Tuesday, March 17, 2015 at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Seneca. Burial will be in the St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery in St. Benedict, Kansas.

Memorials may be left in Stephen’s memory to St. Mary’s Cemetery and Sts. Peter & Paul School.