Obituary For KENNETH W. RAIBER – 87

St. Cloud — Kenneth W. Raiber was born in Glencoe, Minnesota, on February 23, 1939, to Palmer and Arlene Raiber and was baptized into the Lutheran faith. He spent his early years in Glencoe and Brownton, Minnesota, and graduated from Brownton High School in 1957.

Ken attended Gustavus Adolphus and St. Cloud State University, graduating in 1962 with a math major and a physics minor. He went on to teach math and physics in Cosmos, Minnesota, from 1962 to 1969. While in Cosmos, he also worked for Nielson Air Service doing crop spraying, charter flights and flight instruction.

In 1969, Ken moved to Canby, Minnesota, where he taught math, science and aviation, in addition to aviation ground school. He also started his own flight instruction business and did charter flights for Midwest Aviation.

In 1980, Ken moved to St. Cloud and joined the faculty at St. Cloud State University. He developed the first bachelor's degree in aviation in Minnesota and taught aviation ground school and technical math classes. He served as an FAA designated pilot examiner from 1980 to 2012 and served on the St. Cloud Airport Advisory Board from 1981 until 2020. During his time at St. Cloud State University, he took a sabbatical and served as a corporate pilot for Schwan's in Marshall, Minnesota.

Ken married Linda Knight in 1971. They had two children, Keri Jo and Kraig. He married Gale Uphoff Kremers on July 1, 1995, at Love of Christ Lutheran Church in St. Cloud, blending their families together. They lived in the St. Cloud and St. Joseph, Minnesota, areas since 1980.

Ken enjoyed hunting, fishing in Canada, cruises, traveling, flying, building a Searey airplane with his friend Gary, winters in Arizona, summers at the lake, and spending time with friends, neighbors, his children and grandchildren.

Ken's wish was always to be thought of as a good husband, father, teacher and pilot. He cherished his family, friends and students. Previous students described him as a mentor, teacher and friend and credited him for their careers.

Survivors include his wife, Gale; children, Keri (Mark) Wolf and Kraig (Andrea) Raiber; sisters, Sharon Zaske, Shirley (James) Lindeman and Sandra (Jack) Bain; Gale's children, Taunya (Richard) Meyerhofer, Ryan (Kirsten) Kremers and Trent (Kelly) Kremers; and 13 grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, grandson Travis Snowdon, and brothers-in-law James Zaske, Dale Uphoff and Mark Uphoff.

A Celebration of Ken's life will be held from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Saturday, September 19, 2026, at Sartell Community Center. A short service will be held at 2:30 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Quiet Oaks Hospice or a favorite nonprofit organization.

Arrangements by Williams Dingmann Family Funeral Home.

Read the full obituary: https://www.williamsdingmann.com/obituaries/Kenneth-W-Raiber?obId=49591323#/obituaryInfo