Lee Kenneth Hampton, age 92, of Bloomington, passed away on Thursday, June 4, 2026, at Morningside Assisted Living in Lancaster.
He was born on Aug. 16, 1933, on the family farm in Glen Haven Township to Kenneth A. and Edith A. (Barr) Hampton.
Lee attended school in Glen Haven and began his career with John Deere Dubuque Works in 1954. On Feb. 27, 1954, he was united in marriage to Rosemary H. Berntgen at St. Charles Catholic Church in Cassville.
During his career at John Deere, Lee worked building rollers for crawler equipment.
In 1965, he and his family moved to their farm in Glen Haven Township, where he creatively balanced farming with working the third shift at John Deere for 22 years. He retired from John Deere on April 30, 1987, after a dedicated and distinguished career.
Lee cherished time spent with his family and took great pride in attending his grandchildren’s and great-grandchildren’s sporting events. He also enjoyed traveling, particularly trips to Laughlin, Las Vegas, and Oatman.
An enthusiastic NASCAR fan, Lee would often watch them on television. He rarely missed an opportunity to attend races at Farley, Maquoketa, Dubuque, La Crosse, Darlington, and Lancaster. He also enjoyed playing cards, especially a competitive game of poker, and enjoyed his trips to the casino in Marquette where he would be found either playing a machine or trying his hand in a game of cards.
Lee’s kindness, strong work ethic, and devotion to his family will be remembered by all who knew him. He will be deeply missed.
Survivors include his children: Gary (Becky); Dave (Carol); Bruce; Bill Hampton; Cindy (Chuck) Humphrey; Tim; and Dan (Kari) Hampton; son-in-law, Roger (Darla) Kirschbaum; 18 grandchildren; 40 great-grandchildren; one great-great grandson; sister-in-law, Sandy (Harlan) Ellis; nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
In addition to his parents, Lee was preceded in death by his wife, Rosemary on August 30, 2020; a son, Wayne in 1971; a daughter, Janet Kirschbaum in 2018; a daughters-in-law, Renee Hampton in 2016 and Bev Hampton in 2021; two brothers: Keith “Corkie” (Martha) and Neil (Diane) Hampton; in-laws: Charles (Judy) Berngten; Paul (Grace) Berntgen; dogs, Nellie and Charlie and a cat, Rowdy.
Graveside services will be held on Monday, July 6, at 11 a.m. at Gockel Cemetery, in Glen Haven Township with Pastor Mark Hoehne officiating. A Celebration of Life will follow at J&J’s Sandbar in Cassville from noon until 3 p.m. Kramer-Grau Funeral Homes & Crematory in Bloomington is assisting the family. The family would like to express their gratitude to Morningside Assisted Living and St. Croix Hospice for their excellent care and support. Online condolences: www.kramergraufuneralhomes.com
