Resident of Strawberry Point, Clayton County, Iowa since 2007.

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Updated (March 4, 2026): My long distance relationship female partner and sunshine of my life, Valentina Grigorievna (Omelchenko) Boyarkina, of Uzlovaya, Tulskaya Oblast, Russia, (Memorial ID: 293917509) lost consciousness and passed away last Friday, February 27, 2026, at 7:44 pm (Moscow, Russia, time) at her apartment. Her two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren were present at the time of the incident. The ambulance didn't get there on time. It was devastating, and I am completely heartbroken. We loved each other so much and had look forward to get together soon but our dreams had been unfortunately crushed. She was buried on Sunday, March 1, 2026 at one of the two cemeteries in Uzlovaya, Tulskaya Oblast, Russia. The activity for FindAGrave will still be much lower in the coming months due to grieving. Thank you, Kevin

Updated (December 23, 2025): I will visit FindAGrave as often as I can to accept suggested edits. I found a new love, Valentina, since September 28, 2025. I met her online via Instagram in late 2024. It is a long-distance relationship. The activity for FindAGrave will be much lower in the coming months. Thank you for the heads up. Kevin

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Surnames: Kitzman, McKinley, Thomas & Vail (see My Virtual Cemeteries in my profile and under "Family Tree"). Surnames beyond great-grandparents: Anthony, Carter, Clawson, Gieseke, McCartney, Mounts, Peery, Pixley, Slagel, Stegmeir, Warnecke, & Wohlt.

Born in Topeka, Kansas, and raised in Lenexa & Overland Park, Kansas (Johnson County) area for 34 years before moving to Iowa in 2001 to be with my longtime beloved female partner of almost 22 years, Sharon.

I am deaf and I am proud of who I am. I am able to talk and lip-read well. I know English (my primary language) along with American Sign Language, Spanish (Intermediate), Dutch (Elementary), and German (Elementary). I am an avid Kansas Jayhawks & Kansas City Chiefs fan.

While I lived in Kansas, I attended Shawnee Mission East H.S. (Prairie Village, Kansas) and graduated in 1985. Colleges: Johnson County Community College (Overland Park, Kansas, 1985-1987; University of Kansas (Lawrence, Kansas, 1987-1988); and Gallaudet University (Washington, DC, 1988-1991 - Bachelor's of Arts in Computer Science). I worked for a Federal Government agency as night shift computer operator for almost 10 years and was a lead computer operator once for short time until consolidation occurred in 1998. My parents were John Howard (Memorial ID: 243786761) and Sheila Rolene (Thomas) Kitzman (Memorial ID: 243786838) and they passed away in 2007 but in different months (March 27 and October 22 respectively). My sister, Denise, is currently living in the Kansas City area with her husband, Duane. I created the memorials for my parents on the FindAGrave.com website but they were cremated. I still have half of their ashes and my sister, Denise, has the other half.

About Iowa, Sharon & I lived in Quasqueton & Independence (both of them in Buchanan County, Iowa) for 5 1/2 years before moving to Strawberry Point, Iowa (Clayton County, Iowa) in April 2007. I attended the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa from 2003-2005 and received a Program Certificate in Geographic Information Systems and Cartography. Until June 19, 2022, my beloved female partner, Sharon Baumgartner, passed away. She was buried in Strawberry Point Cemetery on June 24, 2022. I am still grieving and heartbroken. I then signed up for the account here on June 25, 2022, and had set up Sharon's memorial (Memorial ID: 240805354). I maintain her memorial and learn a lot about this site. I then decided to volunteer to take photos of graves for memorials in local cemeteries thus I could feel a closeness to my partner, Sharon, near her grave at Strawberry Point Cemetery.

My Ancestry profile - (http://www.ancestry.com/profile/001827af-0002-0000-0000-000000000000)

Currently concentrating my efforts on the:

~ Strawberry Point Cemetery (including Saint Marys plots)

~ Saint Sebald Lutheran Cemetery, Saint Sebald, Clayton County, IA

~ Ross Cemetery, Sperry Township, Clayton County, IA

~ Sacred Heart Cemetery, Speery Township, Clayton County, IA

~ Reed Cemetery, Sperry Township, Clayton County, IA

~ County Corners Cemetery, Cass Township, Clayton County, IA

(all of them are within a 10-minute drive from Strawberry Point).

Also concentrating some efforts on the:

~ Arlington Cemetery, Arlington, Fayette County, IA

~ Forestville Cemetery, Dundee, Delaware County, IA

~ Garretson Cemetery, Sperry Township, Clayton County, IA

~ Grandview Cemetery, Fayette, Fayette County, IA

~ Hillcrest Cemetery, Volga, Clayton County, IA

~ Mederville Cemetery, Mederville, Cox Creek Township, Clayton County, IA

~ Old Stone School Cemetery, Volga, Sperry Township, Clayton County, IA

~ Sacred Heart Cemetery - Littleport, Cox Creek Township, Clayton County, IA

~ Sacred Heart Cemetery - Schoolhouse Yard, Volga, Clayton County, IA

~ St. Albert's Cemetery, Dundee, Delaware County, IA

~ Taylorsville Cemetery, Arlington, Fayette County, IA

~ Union Cemetery, Littleport, Cox Creek Township, Clayton County, IA

~ Union Cemetery, Putnam Township, Fayette County, IA

~ West Union Cemetery, West Union, Fayette County, IA

~ Woodlawn Cemetery, Oelwein, Fayette County, IA

I also check maiden names, full dates, and biographical information, and check for duplicate memorials.

Performed GPS that added to memorials:

County Corners Cemetery - Was at 1% before I started and now at 97%

Grandview Cemetery - Was at 3% before I started and now at 9%

Hillcrest Cemetery - Was at 3% before I started and now at 88%

Mederville Cemetery, Mederville, IA - Was at 1% before - hasn't started yet

Reed Cemetery - Was at 0% before I started and now at 80%

Sacred Heart Cemetery, Volga - Was at 3% before I started and now at 97%

Sacred Heart Cemetery, Sperry Township - Was at 2% before I started and now at 96%

Strawberry Point Cemetery - Was at 1% before I started and now at 97%

Taylorsville Cemetery - Was at 17% before I started and now at 90%

Union Cemetery - Putnam Township - Was at 0% before I started and now at 98%

Woodlawn Cemetery, Oelwein, IA - Was at 2% before I started and now at 9%