Former St. William priest Del Klink remembered as funny, friendly
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Father Del Klink
JANESVILLE — He was a great speaker whose homilies were descriptive, educational and spoken in a way that anyone could understand.
And once, late at night in the office at St. William Catholic School, the Rev. Del Klink lay down on the floor, put his face next to the register and boomed to an office worker below:
“Kelly! This is God! I forgive you for all your sins today!”
That was one of many memories that had members of the St. William family laughing this week despite the loss of their beloved friend and priest, said St. William School Principal Diane Rebout.
Klink died Sunday at University Hospital in Madison after several years of declining health. He was 76.
Klink, a Watertown native, retired from the priesthood in 2003 after working at St. William Catholic Church for more than a decade. He also served as pastor at St. Dennis Catholic Church in Madison and Sacred Heart in Reedsburg.
Klink graduated from St. Lawrence Seminary in Mount Calvary and St. Francis Seminary in Milwaukee. He worked as a teacher and the dean of students at Holy Name Seminary in Madison.
He was ordained in 1960.
His years as a teacher shined through in his homilies, said St. William member Harry O’Leary.
“You always learned something about history,” O’Leary said. “He was excellent.”
Rebout agreed that Klink was as much a teacher as a priest.
“All of his sermons and homilies tied church history and world history together,” Rebout said. “It was the first time for me it all made sense.”
Rebout said she remembered how impressed she was at how quickly Klink got to know the church members when he started working at St. William.
“He just took the time to get to know every single parishioner,” Rebout said. “He knew them all by name.”
Church member Deborah Adams said Klink’s manner of speaking resonated with many people. He made her feel like she wanted to go to church again, she said.
Adams said she doesn’t think she was alone.
“I really also feel he brought a lot of people back to the church,” she said. “He spoke on everybody’s level.”
Adams’ dad, John Dongarra, was a church member and a friend of Klink’s. He said he spent time at Klink’s home on Lake Wisconsin. The two went to the casino together—Klink never spent more than $20—and enjoyed buffet dinners and hiking at Devil’s Lake State Park near Baraboo.
Klink knew every rock and tree and would have made an excellent tour guide, Dongarra said. He loved his 1980 Chevrolet truck, which he kept in mint condition despite its age, Dongarra said.
When Klink spoke, he was kind, funny and descriptive, Dongarra said.
“He was just a lovely person.”
Jan 31, 2011 at 11:59 a.m.
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For the majority of my time spent at St. William's school, Father Del was our priest. You always hear about leading by example. Father Del did just that. He was the such a nice guy. He was patient, funny and genuinely cared for his fellow man. We students felt that he actually listened to us and tried to help if we ever had a problem. He made you want to be your best self and try your hardest. I always appreciated the way he celebrated mass. He drew you in and made you think without pushing it on you. We looked forward to church because we adored Father Del! I'll never forget about the black socks with black sandals that he wore year round. He will be missed by many.
Jan 31, 2011 at 11:49 a.m.
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Father Del was the best! I wished him a long and healthy retirement, but it was not to be. We will always remember him because he would be too hard to forget! He kept us laughing.
Jan 31, 2011 at 2:24 a.m.
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Fr. Del was a wonderful priest, probably the best one I had while growing up. I was very blessed to have him baptize my kids and even though he left St. Williams's shortly after, I feel very fortunate my kids were able to come in contact with such a kind, caring, fun priest. As much as he will be missed on earth, heaven is lucky to have gained such a great person!
Jan 30, 2011 at 12:21 p.m.
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Our company does wedding video's. We covered many weddings while he was at St. Williams and he was always very helpful when the bride made request for certain things to be part of the wedding. Some priest will not honor the brides request. Our company was also able to work with father Del and we where able to give the bride and groom memories they can keep a life time. I missed him when he retired from St. Williams. He was a fun man to work with.
Jan 30, 2011 at 9:26 a.m.
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Fr. Klink was the Pastor of St. Denis for just about the entire time I went to school there and he was exactly what one wants in a pastor, knowledgeable, caring, and a good listener. He would visit with the students frequently and you had the feeling that he knew everything that was going on in the school. He was a wonderful priest!
Jan 30, 2011 at 8:45 a.m.
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May the choirs of angels come to greet you.
May they speed you to paradise.
May the Lord enfold you in His mercy.
May you find eternal life.
God bless you, Fr. Del!
Jan 29, 2011 at 11:20 p.m.
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Sure sounds like a passionate man of God!
Jan 29, 2011 at 10:23 p.m.
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He definitely seemed to be one of the good ones. I only met him a couple of times, but he was one of the nicest priests I've ever met. St Williams was very lucky to have him while they did.
Jan 29, 2011 at 4:34 p.m.
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Father Del was an amazing man. I am not Roman Catholic but I have family members that have been members of St. William Catholic Church for generations. I would attend midnight mass with them way back before they built the new building. To this day I remember a sermon of his, not about the newborn King but about the Christmas cards he had recieved and the love that was represented by those cards...and where that love began. He was a character and anyone that spent time with him smiles at the mere mention of his name. I know I do.
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