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98-Year-Old Man Rediscovers His Passion for Baking and Donates All of His Treats
When Leo Kellner lost his wife, he was at a loss of what to do next with his life.
Kellner and his wife, Madelon, had been married for 72 years when she passed away. To cope with his loss, Kellner reinstated his passion for baking and began baking apple pies. In the first year after his wife’s death, Kellner made 144 apple pies.
“After I lost my wife I didn’t know what to do so I said well I can bake, so I started baking,” Kellner told NTV News Nebraska. “I love eating. Let’s put it that way. I love sweets.”
Kellner gives his baked goods away for free, giving his treats an additional layer of love.
After mastering pies, Kellner started baking different types of cakes, including sugar-free treats for people who are diabetic. Kellner donates his desserts to funeral receptions, other widows, and to people who are sick.
“To see the smile on their face. That’s worth all the money in the world. Nobody can buy that. That smile means so much to me,” Kellner told NTV News Nebraska.
Kellner’s treats have gotten pretty good reviews as well.
“They’re pretty darn good, they really are,” Kellner’s pastor, Rev. Michael Houlihan of St. Michael’s Church told the Hastings Tribune. “Every time we have a funeral here, he has one brought over. And every time one of us goes over there he gives us one. He’s always been that way. Some look inward, he looks outward. If you say ‘hi’ to him, he’ll probably give you a pie.”
By rediscovering his passion for baking, Leo Kellner is able to help others and himself all at the same time.
“I try to help everybody I can,” he told the Hastings Tribune. “It makes me feel happy. God left me here for a reason and this is why I think he did.”
