Joseph Kuhns

November 24, 1928 – February 11, 2021

Joseph Buford (Joe) Kuhns passed away on Feb. 11, 2021, in Kennewick at the age of 92.

Joe was born to Buford and Josephine (Numbers) Kuhns on Nov. 24, 1928, in Boise, Idaho. The family lived at various locations in southern Idaho, where his father held the position of county agriculture extension agent. Joe’s mother passed away when he was 8 years old, and afterwards his father remarried Anna Jean Tucker while living in Caldwell, Idaho.

In 1946, the family moved to Ephrata, Washington, and his father was employed as a land settlement agent with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, where Joe finished his last year of high school. Joe enrolled at Washington State University in 1947, and received a BS in agriculture in 1952. During that time, he was a member of Kappa Iota Phi fraternity, and also spent one semester away in Alaska on a road survey project for eight months.

On graduation, Joe received an ROTC commission, and after serving two years during the Korean War, returned to Ephrata where he owned a farm for five years. Following this, he worked for one year as a fieldman for the Asgrow Seed Company in Warden, Washington.

He then went to work for the USDA’s Farm Loan Agency where he worked for a total of 35 years, retiring in 1996 with 40 years of federal service and finishing as a loan supervisor for five counties in southeast Washington.

Joe and Jolene (Hoppe) were married on June 6, 1963, at the First United Methodist Church in Portland, Oregon. Joe was subsequently transferred to Connell, Washington, and various other locations in the state before taking a role in the Tri-Cities.

Joe and Jolene enjoyed travel and had the opportunity to visit many states in the U.S. and also Mexico, Canada, Bermuda, Hong Kong, China, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Argentina and Uruguay. One of his favorites trips was to Key West.

Joe’s interests at one time or another included golf, skiing, fishing, gardening, vintage car restoration and collecting, RV travel, Boy Scouts, Cougar football games and enjoying the family beach house in Lincoln City, Oregon.

Before and during his retirement he was active in various organizations including Rotary, car clubs, Kiwanis, Toastmasters, Shrine Club, Masons, Kennewick First United Methodist Church and its choir, Tri-Cities Court Club, Columbia Basin College band, and Farm Appraisers.

He was known as a rather quiet, private person, but like the old saying goes, “still water runs deep,” which was reflected in the leadership positions he held in various organizations and in his employment.

Joe is survived by his wife of 57 years Jolene of Kennewick, son Brad of San Francisco, son Murray of Kennewick, daughter Brenda of Seattle and stepsister Mary Ann (Kuhns) Ringsrud (Peter) of East Wenatchee.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Washington State University Cougar Athletic Fund or the charity of your choice.

A memorial service is planned with Mueller’s Funeral Home of Kennewick, Washington, for spring.