Kristopher L. Arens

Kristopher L. Arens, age 48 of Hartington, Nebraska, died on Thursday, September 12, 2019 in an automobile accident at the intersection of Highway 12 and the Fordyce spur. Mass of Christian Burial will be on Wednesday, September 18, 2019 at 2:00 p.m. at Holy Family (Sts. Peter & Paul) Catholic Church in Bow Valley with the Rev. Andy Phan officiating. Burial of his cremated remains will be at the Sts. Peter & Paul Cemetery in Bow Valley. Visitation will be one hour prior to services at the church on Wednesday. Arrangements are under the direction of the Wintz Funeral Home in Hartington. Urn bearer will be Tony Pick. Kristopher Leon Arens was born on August 23, 1971 in Yankton, SD to Kenneth Linus and Ruth Ann (Jansen) Arens. He grew up on a farm east of Fordyce, Nebraska and attended elementary school at East Catholic in Bow Valley and graduated from Hartington Cedar Catholic High School in 1989. Kristopher went to Northeast Technical Community College in Norfolk for two years and then returned home and farmed with his father. While farming he also worked in Yankton at Save-U-More Foods. Kristopher worked in Madison, Nebraska at the Pork Plant for a couple years. He then worked for L&M Radiator in Yankton, Sapa (formerly Alumax), and K-Mart for 13 years until they closed their doors. His final place of employment was at AutoZone in Yankton. Kristopher collected toy tractors and also loved his full size tractors. He was an avid Nebraska Husker football fan, enjoyed driving his Mustang and his 4-Wheeler. He also loved dogs and had a small white dog named Tippy when he was young and a chocolate lab named Jake later in life. He is survived by his mother, Ruth of Hartington; special friend Stacey Schomer of Yankton, SD; several aunts, uncles and first cousins. Kristopher was preceded in death by his father Kenneth in 2015; infant sister Mary; paternal grandparents Anthony and Margaret Arens; maternal grandparents Alphonse and Myrtle Jansen.