1951-2026
Dennis Forest Kunkle, aged 74, was the son of Forest and Beverly (Sloss) Kunkle. He was born on Aug. 16, 1951, in Iowa and passed away Monday, Feb. 23, 2026, at MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center in Des Moines.
Denny graduated from Guthrie Center High School in 1969, then earned his degree at Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Missouri. On Aug. 22, 1970, he married his high school sweetheart, Pam Priestley, at the First Christian Church in Guthrie Center. The couple lived in Maryville while Dennis attended school, and, after graduating, they returned to Guthrie Center. Dennis and his father ran Central Motors, a car dealership in Guthrie Center. When the dealership closed, Dennis worked at NAPA in Guthrie Center before joining Guthrie County State Bank as a computer technician, where he remained until his retirement in 2016.
During his younger days, Dennis enjoyed golfing and won a few tournaments at the Panorama Golf Course during its early years before it had a clubhouse. He also served as Mayor of Guthrie Center for an impressive 36 years, from 1983 to 2019. Dennis cherished Guthrie Center and always maintained his youthful enthusiasm for driving around its streets to see what was happening.
Dennis was a lifelong member of the First Christian Church in Guthrie Center and spent many years volunteering with the Guthrie Center Fire Department.
He is survived by his wife, Pam Kunkle of Guthrie Center; his sons, Matthew (Kari) Kunkle of Corinth, Texas, and Mark Kunkle of Guthrie Center; four grandchildren, Zachary, Jake, Elizabeth and Austin; his brother, Doug (Vicki) Kunkle of Wichita Falls, Texas; and his sister, Debra (Joel) Hade of Indianola. He was preceded in death by his parents.
Dennis was cremated, and memorial services will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, at the First Christian Church in Guthrie Center. Visitation is scheduled from 5-7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026, at Twigg Funeral Home in Guthrie Center. His cremains will be privately buried at Union Cemetery in Guthrie Center.
Memorial donations may be made to the Guthrie Center Christmas Lights fund, in care of Guthrie County State Bank — a beloved project Denny started with his city team more than three decades ago.