The Fremont community is mourning the passing of former City Councilman Michael Kuhns.
Kuhns, 69, died late Wednesday night. He served as a Ward 3 councilman from 2012 through August of 2021. Following his resignation, current councilman James Vaughan was appointed to that seat.
Kuhns was a longtime employee of Arps Red-E-Mix in Fremont and also served for more than three decades in the Fremont Rural Fire Department.
Fremont Mayor Joey Spellerberg said Kuhns provided unwavering support for the city.
“Mike was always dedicated, passionate and loved Fremont,” he said. “He was just a very dedicated member of the community. He spent decades in the rural fire department and it was a real honor to work with Mike. He loved the City Auditorium and was really involved in the renovation of that. He was just an amazing community member and he’ll be greatly missed.”
Former council president Mark Legband said Kuhns was always respectful in looking at both sides of an issue.
“He was very good to work with,” he said. “We didn’t always agree on everything, but at least he was someone you could go to and talk about things. I’d give him my perspective and he would give me his perspective. We could agree to disagree on some things, but most of the time we both thought the same way. I think most of the time we agreed on what we were trying to accomplish. He was always a pleasure and always a gentleman.”
Kuhns is survived by his wife Rose; son, Mykhail (Luann) Kuhns of Lincoln; granddaughter, Rachael; brothers, Terry (Mary) Perkins and Robert (Susan) Perkins; sisters, Jeannie Rob, Jo Timkar and Tracy Kral; step-mother, Mary Staley; step-brother, David (Dawn) Olson; step-sister, Sherry (Jeremy) McDonald; brothers-in-law, Mark (Jill) Scott and Skyler (Glenda) Schenck; sister-in-law, Eileen Holmberg and numerous nieces and nephews.
The funeral is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Tuesday (Aug. 13) at the Fremont City Auditorium. Spellerberg reiterated that the auditorium was a special place for Kuhns.
“He just had a passion for our Parks and Recreation Department,” he said. “The auditorium was one project that he worked hard on during his time on council. He enjoyed seeing people having fun and experiencing our facilities in the city. That was just Mike. He wanted to give back and see that facility continue because there was just so much history there.”
Legband noted that Kuhns “really cared about Fremont” and did that through his role on the council as well as a firefighter.
“Mike was a giver,” he said. “He gave of his time to Fremont and really gave everything he had for the City. You also wouldn’t find a nicer person. He was a great individual.”
