Logan County resident Evelyn Audrey Kautz dies at 98; services set

Evelyn Audrey Kautz, 98, of Sterling died Thursday, February 12, 2026, in Sterling, Colorado. Visitation is scheduled Friday, February 20, 2026, from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Halouska Family Chaney-Reager Funeral Home, 443 S. 2nd St., Sterling. A funeral service will be held Saturday, February 21, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. at First English Lutheran Church, 701 Fairhurst St., Sterling, with Rev. Richard von Steinman officiating; she will be laid to rest at Riverside Cemetery, 18611 US-6, Sterling, CO 80751.

Kautz was born December 25, 1927, in Sterling to John Keil Sr. and Catherine Schuppe Keil and graduated from Crook High School in Crook, Colorado, in 1946. She married Harold Milton Kautz on December 14, 1947. “As the years rolled by Evelyn spent her spare time working and helping her husband on the farm, raising many different crops,” the obituary notes, and “She was in charge of the daily chores of milking their dairy cows.”

Her life in Logan County included longstanding community and church activity. Legacy obituary text records that “As a member of the Faith English Lutheran Church of Crook, Evelyn and her friends sold hamburgers and grebbel at the local fairs, sharing the proceeds with their church.” Funeral arrangements list the service location in Sterling at First English Lutheran Church; Rev. Richard von Steinman is listed as officiant for the Feb. 21 service.

Kautz’s domestic crafts and culinary work were well known to family and neighbors. The obituary records, “In preparing for the holidays, Evelyn would occasionally sew clothing for the girls,” and that “She was an exceptional cook and baker, especially her breads, pies and German food.” The notice also preserves the detail that “Evelyn enjoyed embroidering and sold many sets of Tea Towels both locally and from a small coffee shop in Paxton, NE.”

She was preceded in death by her parents John Keil Sr. and Catherine Schuppe Keil, husband Harold Milton Kautz, siblings William & Betty Keil, Alfreda & Reiny Nein and Albert Luft, and son-in-law Clair Orr. Survivors include sister Loretta Luft; brother John (Linda) Keil Jr.; daughters Sherryl (Rex) Clevenger of Imperial, NE, Deborah Orr (John Patterson) of Kersey, CO, and Shawna (Joe) Roche of Sterling, CO. Grandchildren named in the published obituary include Kelly (Christine) Clevenger, Tori (Cory) Holm, Robyn Clevenger, Tonya (Kyle) Perez, Kaycee (Jason) Hoffman, Katie (Coy) Egbert, Michael Roche and Jordan R. (Kailan Kalina) Roche. The obituary lists 21 great-grandchildren, including Jace (Kaylee) Clevenger, Kobe, Joee (Tysen Lempke) and Kole Clevenger, Caden (Aspen Riesberg), Audrey, Chase and Addison Holm, Gannon (Tatum) Clevenger, Gabriel Lange, Eli Brown, Peyton and Libby Perez, Haxton, Kennedy and Hayden Hoffman, and Kingston, Crew and Lexi among others.

Halouska Family Chaney-Reager Funeral Home, 443 S. 2nd St., Sterling, is handling arrangements. Friends may visit during the Feb. 20 viewing hours and attend the Feb. 21 service at First English Lutheran Church, 701 Fairhurst St., with burial to follow at Riverside Cemetery on US-6.