Services for Rick Koepke, 61, of Pilger were held on Saturday at 2 p.m. at St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Pilger, NE. with military honors at the Pilger Cemetery. Visitation was on Friday 3 until 8 p.m., with the family present from 6 to 8 p.m., at Minnick Funeral Home in Pilger and continud at 11 a.m. Saturday at the church.
Rick died Sunday, Sept. 9, 2012, at his residence.
Richard Lynn Koepke was born March 27, 1951, in Norfolk to Junior and Doris (Mulinix) Koepke. He was baptized and confirmed at St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Pilger. Rick attended Pilger Public School and graduated in 1969.
He entered the U.S. Army Nov. 28, 1969, with basic training at Fort Lewis, Wash., and advanced infantry training at Fort Knox, Ky. He served as an armored reconnaissance specialist in Vietnam with the 4th Infantry Division and was later transferred to the American Division H Troop, 17th Cavalry.
In addition to numerous commemorative medals, he was awarded the Bronze Star medal for meritorious achievement in ground operations against hostile forces. Rick was honorably discharged in July 1971.
Rick returned to Pilger where he began working with his mother in her upholstery shop. In 1973, he became owner operator of Koepke Upholstery, acquiring a reputation for superior craftsmanship. In addition, he worked for various farmers and bartended at the Pilger Pump.
Following 18 years in upholstery, he partnered in a new business, K & K Pallet in Stanton. Rick was presently employed by J & L Trucking of Stanton.
Rick was a lifetime member of the Stanton VFW Post 3602, American Veterans Motor Cycle Club of Nebraska and St. Peter's Lutheran Church. He served on the Pilger Fire Department for a number of years.
Survivors include daughter Shella and Jeff Thoman of Concordia, Kan., and sons Noah and Isaac; son Jesse and Amy Koepke of Lincoln and sons Briar, Landon and Xander; sisters Sonja and Ray Lehman of Stanton, Linda and Rich Kuehler of Yankton, S.D., and June and John Horst of Wisner. Many nieces, nephews and great friends also survive him.
Rick was preceded in death by his parents and a brother,
Roger Koepke.
***************************
THE FOLLOWING EULOGY WAS WRITTEN BY RICK'S DAUGHTER, SHELLA AND HIS SON JESSE...
June 1, 1950 on the sidewalk in Stanton, Roger Dean Koepke was born. You might wonder why we are talking about Roger's birth. Well we believe t
hat our dad's life really began on that day. Uncle Roger was a big part of his life that left a big void at his passing, a part of him died that day as well.
Not wasting anytime 9 months and 26 days later On Tuesday March 27 1951 at 5:10 am David Edward Koepke was born. Now you're wondering why we're talking about David Edward Koepke, well that's who you know as Richard Lynn Koepke. David Edward is what his birth certificate originally said, crossed off and written in Richard Lynn. Tuesday, March 27th at 5:10 am, that's pretty detailed information but clearly important information to him as we found it written on several notes.
As a teenager getting to school in the winter was hard. Waist deep snow, up hill for miles, one couldn't expect to wake up when the school bell rang and get there on time! His Class, The Class of 1969, what a class that was, listed in his notes as Honorary Pall Bears, the class meant a lot to him. Still, now, many of them friends. But when you became a friend with him, you became a friend for life, as we can see her today!
He married our mom on July 27, 1973, if we hadn't known the date, there was a note! They spent most of their life together working too hard at Koepke Upholstery. Working too hard is definitely something he did too much of. Working at his job or working at home he put in a 100% effort. Most people wouldn't think he was a perfectionist and in some areas he wasn't, but in others like his work he was. It had to be right to go out the door and is a part of why Koepke Upholstery had the reputation it did. You might not think he was organized, but he was, a file folder for just about everything under the sun! He had notes about everything and he knew where anything was when he needed it.
The day Shella was born he had to finish a project before they could leave for the hospital and the day Jesse was born he had to finish softball, no sense in just sitting at the hospital. We know he really didn't feel well last week if he made an appointment with the doctor. Never liking doctors or hospitals he would have been happy that his last breath wasn't there.
From all the notes of Cell phone minutes we've come across this week you might have thought he enjoyed talking on the phone, but we all know that he didn't. Talking on the phone used minutes, but more importantly it was a lot more difficult to play a joke on you over the phone. And he had a few! We wish we could pull off pranks as well as he could, we'd tell you one of his last wishes was for each of you to go home with 7 pallets!
The blessing in our dad's death is that the devastation & pain of Uncle Rogers death and of Vietnam is now gone. We honestly don't know a lot about his Vietnam service time, we know it had a major impact on his life and we know that it wasn't something he wanted to talk about, it was something you talked about with other Vets that related, there just wasn't a way for anyone else to really understand.
He enjoyed and spent a lot of time analyzing numbers and with the help of The Consumers Report subscription he was sure to get the best product for the value. He craved learning new things, reading a variety of books and articles and when his 3rd Grandson Isaac was born with Down syndrome he picked up a book to understand what that really meant. From the notes we found he currently had been studying the presidents. He loved his conversation pieces, Plastic, Hope, Bob, the tarantula and all his Camels. Throughout his life he enjoyed canoeing, hunting, riding his bike, tinkering around, playing chess, pranking anyone, his Rum & Coke, Mountain Due, Kool-Aid, and don't forget the Spam. But most of all He enjoyed his friends, picking up where he left off , whether it be a week or years since he saw them last.
We could talk about who he was and what he accomplished but it's really not necessary; everyone here knows what an interesting and amazing person he was and how much he will be missed by so many. Several of you have shared stories about him with us the past few days and we hope that you will continue to do that today and in the future.
One of the things he enjoyed doing the most was having a good time. So no big surprise It was his wish to have a party tonight at the Vet's Club in Stanton, unfortunately they have a wedding tonight, so the party's at Oswald Seed Company. We invite you all to join us in Celebrating his Life. You bring the Coke, we'll bring the Rum!
Rick died Sunday, Sept. 9, 2012, at his residence.
Richard Lynn Koepke was born March 27, 1951, in Norfolk to Junior and Doris (Mulinix) Koepke. He was baptized and confirmed at St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Pilger. Rick attended Pilger Public School and graduated in 1969.
He entered the U.S. Army Nov. 28, 1969, with basic training at Fort Lewis, Wash., and advanced infantry training at Fort Knox, Ky. He served as an armored reconnaissance specialist in Vietnam with the 4th Infantry Division and was later transferred to the American Division H Troop, 17th Cavalry.
In addition to numerous commemorative medals, he was awarded the Bronze Star medal for meritorious achievement in ground operations against hostile forces. Rick was honorably discharged in July 1971.
Rick returned to Pilger where he began working with his mother in her upholstery shop. In 1973, he became owner operator of Koepke Upholstery, acquiring a reputation for superior craftsmanship. In addition, he worked for various farmers and bartended at the Pilger Pump.
Following 18 years in upholstery, he partnered in a new business, K & K Pallet in Stanton. Rick was presently employed by J & L Trucking of Stanton.
Rick was a lifetime member of the Stanton VFW Post 3602, American Veterans Motor Cycle Club of Nebraska and St. Peter's Lutheran Church. He served on the Pilger Fire Department for a number of years.
Survivors include daughter Shella and Jeff Thoman of Concordia, Kan., and sons Noah and Isaac; son Jesse and Amy Koepke of Lincoln and sons Briar, Landon and Xander; sisters Sonja and Ray Lehman of Stanton, Linda and Rich Kuehler of Yankton, S.D., and June and John Horst of Wisner. Many nieces, nephews and great friends also survive him.
Rick was preceded in death by his parents and a brother,
Roger Koepke.
***************************
THE FOLLOWING EULOGY WAS WRITTEN BY RICK'S DAUGHTER, SHELLA AND HIS SON JESSE...
June 1, 1950 on the sidewalk in Stanton, Roger Dean Koepke was born. You might wonder why we are talking about Roger's birth. Well we believe t
hat our dad's life really began on that day. Uncle Roger was a big part of his life that left a big void at his passing, a part of him died that day as well.
Not wasting anytime 9 months and 26 days later On Tuesday March 27 1951 at 5:10 am David Edward Koepke was born. Now you're wondering why we're talking about David Edward Koepke, well that's who you know as Richard Lynn Koepke. David Edward is what his birth certificate originally said, crossed off and written in Richard Lynn. Tuesday, March 27th at 5:10 am, that's pretty detailed information but clearly important information to him as we found it written on several notes.
As a teenager getting to school in the winter was hard. Waist deep snow, up hill for miles, one couldn't expect to wake up when the school bell rang and get there on time! His Class, The Class of 1969, what a class that was, listed in his notes as Honorary Pall Bears, the class meant a lot to him. Still, now, many of them friends. But when you became a friend with him, you became a friend for life, as we can see her today!
He married our mom on July 27, 1973, if we hadn't known the date, there was a note! They spent most of their life together working too hard at Koepke Upholstery. Working too hard is definitely something he did too much of. Working at his job or working at home he put in a 100% effort. Most people wouldn't think he was a perfectionist and in some areas he wasn't, but in others like his work he was. It had to be right to go out the door and is a part of why Koepke Upholstery had the reputation it did. You might not think he was organized, but he was, a file folder for just about everything under the sun! He had notes about everything and he knew where anything was when he needed it.
The day Shella was born he had to finish a project before they could leave for the hospital and the day Jesse was born he had to finish softball, no sense in just sitting at the hospital. We know he really didn't feel well last week if he made an appointment with the doctor. Never liking doctors or hospitals he would have been happy that his last breath wasn't there.
From all the notes of Cell phone minutes we've come across this week you might have thought he enjoyed talking on the phone, but we all know that he didn't. Talking on the phone used minutes, but more importantly it was a lot more difficult to play a joke on you over the phone. And he had a few! We wish we could pull off pranks as well as he could, we'd tell you one of his last wishes was for each of you to go home with 7 pallets!
The blessing in our dad's death is that the devastation & pain of Uncle Rogers death and of Vietnam is now gone. We honestly don't know a lot about his Vietnam service time, we know it had a major impact on his life and we know that it wasn't something he wanted to talk about, it was something you talked about with other Vets that related, there just wasn't a way for anyone else to really understand.
He enjoyed and spent a lot of time analyzing numbers and with the help of The Consumers Report subscription he was sure to get the best product for the value. He craved learning new things, reading a variety of books and articles and when his 3rd Grandson Isaac was born with Down syndrome he picked up a book to understand what that really meant. From the notes we found he currently had been studying the presidents. He loved his conversation pieces, Plastic, Hope, Bob, the tarantula and all his Camels. Throughout his life he enjoyed canoeing, hunting, riding his bike, tinkering around, playing chess, pranking anyone, his Rum & Coke, Mountain Due, Kool-Aid, and don't forget the Spam. But most of all He enjoyed his friends, picking up where he left off , whether it be a week or years since he saw them last.
We could talk about who he was and what he accomplished but it's really not necessary; everyone here knows what an interesting and amazing person he was and how much he will be missed by so many. Several of you have shared stories about him with us the past few days and we hope that you will continue to do that today and in the future.
One of the things he enjoyed doing the most was having a good time. So no big surprise It was his wish to have a party tonight at the Vet's Club in Stanton, unfortunately they have a wedding tonight, so the party's at Oswald Seed Company. We invite you all to join us in Celebrating his Life. You bring the Coke, we'll bring the Rum!
Services for Rick Koepke, 61, of Pilger were held on Saturday at 2 p.m. at St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Pilger, NE. with military honors at the Pilger Cemetery. Visitation was on Friday 3 until 8 p.m., with the family present from 6 to 8 p.m., at Minnick Funeral Home in Pilger and continud at 11 a.m. Saturday at the church.
Rick died Sunday, Sept. 9, 2012, at his residence.
Richard Lynn Koepke was born March 27, 1951, in Norfolk to Junior and Doris (Mulinix) Koepke. He was baptized and confirmed at St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Pilger. Rick attended Pilger Public School and graduated in 1969.
He entered the U.S. Army Nov. 28, 1969, with basic training at Fort Lewis, Wash., and advanced infantry training at Fort Knox, Ky. He served as an armored reconnaissance specialist in Vietnam with the 4th Infantry Division and was later transferred to the American Division H Troop, 17th Cavalry.
In addition to numerous commemorative medals, he was awarded the Bronze Star medal for meritorious achievement in ground operations against hostile forces. Rick was honorably discharged in July 1971.
Rick returned to Pilger where he began working with his mother in her upholstery shop. In 1973, he became owner operator of Koepke Upholstery, acquiring a reputation for superior craftsmanship. In addition, he worked for various farmers and bartended at the Pilger Pump.
Following 18 years in upholstery, he partnered in a new business, K & K Pallet in Stanton. Rick was presently employed by J & L Trucking of Stanton.
Rick was a lifetime member of the Stanton VFW Post 3602, American Veterans Motor Cycle Club of Nebraska and St. Peter's Lutheran Church. He served on the Pilger Fire Department for a number of years.
Survivors include daughter Shella and Jeff Thoman of Concordia, Kan., and sons Noah and Isaac; son Jesse and Amy Koepke of Lincoln and sons Briar, Landon and Xander; sisters Sonja and Ray Lehman of Stanton, Linda and Rich Kuehler of Yankton, S.D., and June and John Horst of Wisner. Many nieces, nephews and great friends also survive him.
Rick was preceded in death by his parents and a brother,
Roger Koepke.
***************************
THE FOLLOWING EULOGY WAS WRITTEN BY RICK'S DAUGHTER, SHELLA AND HIS SON JESSE...
June 1, 1950 on the sidewalk in Stanton, Roger Dean Koepke was born. You might wonder why we are talking about Roger's birth. Well we believe t
hat our dad's life really began on that day. Uncle Roger was a big part of his life that left a big void at his passing, a part of him died that day as well.
Not wasting anytime 9 months and 26 days later On Tuesday March 27 1951 at 5:10 am David Edward Koepke was born. Now you're wondering why we're talking about David Edward Koepke, well that's who you know as Richard Lynn Koepke. David Edward is what his birth certificate originally said, crossed off and written in Richard Lynn. Tuesday, March 27th at 5:10 am, that's pretty detailed information but clearly important information to him as we found it written on several notes.
As a teenager getting to school in the winter was hard. Waist deep snow, up hill for miles, one couldn't expect to wake up when the school bell rang and get there on time! His Class, The Class of 1969, what a class that was, listed in his notes as Honorary Pall Bears, the class meant a lot to him. Still, now, many of them friends. But when you became a friend with him, you became a friend for life, as we can see her today!
He married our mom on July 27, 1973, if we hadn't known the date, there was a note! They spent most of their life together working too hard at Koepke Upholstery. Working too hard is definitely something he did too much of. Working at his job or working at home he put in a 100% effort. Most people wouldn't think he was a perfectionist and in some areas he wasn't, but in others like his work he was. It had to be right to go out the door and is a part of why Koepke Upholstery had the reputation it did. You might not think he was organized, but he was, a file folder for just about everything under the sun! He had notes about everything and he knew where anything was when he needed it.
The day Shella was born he had to finish a project before they could leave for the hospital and the day Jesse was born he had to finish softball, no sense in just sitting at the hospital. We know he really didn't feel well last week if he made an appointment with the doctor. Never liking doctors or hospitals he would have been happy that his last breath wasn't there.
From all the notes of Cell phone minutes we've come across this week you might have thought he enjoyed talking on the phone, but we all know that he didn't. Talking on the phone used minutes, but more importantly it was a lot more difficult to play a joke on you over the phone. And he had a few! We wish we could pull off pranks as well as he could, we'd tell you one of his last wishes was for each of you to go home with 7 pallets!
The blessing in our dad's death is that the devastation & pain of Uncle Rogers death and of Vietnam is now gone. We honestly don't know a lot about his Vietnam service time, we know it had a major impact on his life and we know that it wasn't something he wanted to talk about, it was something you talked about with other Vets that related, there just wasn't a way for anyone else to really understand.
He enjoyed and spent a lot of time analyzing numbers and with the help of The Consumers Report subscription he was sure to get the best product for the value. He craved learning new things, reading a variety of books and articles and when his 3rd Grandson Isaac was born with Down syndrome he picked up a book to understand what that really meant. From the notes we found he currently had been studying the presidents. He loved his conversation pieces, Plastic, Hope, Bob, the tarantula and all his Camels. Throughout his life he enjoyed canoeing, hunting, riding his bike, tinkering around, playing chess, pranking anyone, his Rum & Coke, Mountain Due, Kool-Aid, and don't forget the Spam. But most of all He enjoyed his friends, picking up where he left off , whether it be a week or years since he saw them last.
We could talk about who he was and what he accomplished but it's really not necessary; everyone here knows what an interesting and amazing person he was and how much he will be missed by so many. Several of you have shared stories about him with us the past few days and we hope that you will continue to do that today and in the future.
One of the things he enjoyed doing the most was having a good time. So no big surprise It was his wish to have a party tonight at the Vet's Club in Stanton, unfortunately they have a wedding tonight, so the party's at Oswald Seed Company. We invite you all to join us in Celebrating his Life. You bring the Coke, we'll bring the Rum!
Rick died Sunday, Sept. 9, 2012, at his residence.
Richard Lynn Koepke was born March 27, 1951, in Norfolk to Junior and Doris (Mulinix) Koepke. He was baptized and confirmed at St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Pilger. Rick attended Pilger Public School and graduated in 1969.
He entered the U.S. Army Nov. 28, 1969, with basic training at Fort Lewis, Wash., and advanced infantry training at Fort Knox, Ky. He served as an armored reconnaissance specialist in Vietnam with the 4th Infantry Division and was later transferred to the American Division H Troop, 17th Cavalry.
In addition to numerous commemorative medals, he was awarded the Bronze Star medal for meritorious achievement in ground operations against hostile forces. Rick was honorably discharged in July 1971.
Rick returned to Pilger where he began working with his mother in her upholstery shop. In 1973, he became owner operator of Koepke Upholstery, acquiring a reputation for superior craftsmanship. In addition, he worked for various farmers and bartended at the Pilger Pump.
Following 18 years in upholstery, he partnered in a new business, K & K Pallet in Stanton. Rick was presently employed by J & L Trucking of Stanton.
Rick was a lifetime member of the Stanton VFW Post 3602, American Veterans Motor Cycle Club of Nebraska and St. Peter's Lutheran Church. He served on the Pilger Fire Department for a number of years.
Survivors include daughter Shella and Jeff Thoman of Concordia, Kan., and sons Noah and Isaac; son Jesse and Amy Koepke of Lincoln and sons Briar, Landon and Xander; sisters Sonja and Ray Lehman of Stanton, Linda and Rich Kuehler of Yankton, S.D., and June and John Horst of Wisner. Many nieces, nephews and great friends also survive him.
Rick was preceded in death by his parents and a brother,
Roger Koepke.
***************************
THE FOLLOWING EULOGY WAS WRITTEN BY RICK'S DAUGHTER, SHELLA AND HIS SON JESSE...
June 1, 1950 on the sidewalk in Stanton, Roger Dean Koepke was born. You might wonder why we are talking about Roger's birth. Well we believe t
hat our dad's life really began on that day. Uncle Roger was a big part of his life that left a big void at his passing, a part of him died that day as well.
Not wasting anytime 9 months and 26 days later On Tuesday March 27 1951 at 5:10 am David Edward Koepke was born. Now you're wondering why we're talking about David Edward Koepke, well that's who you know as Richard Lynn Koepke. David Edward is what his birth certificate originally said, crossed off and written in Richard Lynn. Tuesday, March 27th at 5:10 am, that's pretty detailed information but clearly important information to him as we found it written on several notes.
As a teenager getting to school in the winter was hard. Waist deep snow, up hill for miles, one couldn't expect to wake up when the school bell rang and get there on time! His Class, The Class of 1969, what a class that was, listed in his notes as Honorary Pall Bears, the class meant a lot to him. Still, now, many of them friends. But when you became a friend with him, you became a friend for life, as we can see her today!
He married our mom on July 27, 1973, if we hadn't known the date, there was a note! They spent most of their life together working too hard at Koepke Upholstery. Working too hard is definitely something he did too much of. Working at his job or working at home he put in a 100% effort. Most people wouldn't think he was a perfectionist and in some areas he wasn't, but in others like his work he was. It had to be right to go out the door and is a part of why Koepke Upholstery had the reputation it did. You might not think he was organized, but he was, a file folder for just about everything under the sun! He had notes about everything and he knew where anything was when he needed it.
The day Shella was born he had to finish a project before they could leave for the hospital and the day Jesse was born he had to finish softball, no sense in just sitting at the hospital. We know he really didn't feel well last week if he made an appointment with the doctor. Never liking doctors or hospitals he would have been happy that his last breath wasn't there.
From all the notes of Cell phone minutes we've come across this week you might have thought he enjoyed talking on the phone, but we all know that he didn't. Talking on the phone used minutes, but more importantly it was a lot more difficult to play a joke on you over the phone. And he had a few! We wish we could pull off pranks as well as he could, we'd tell you one of his last wishes was for each of you to go home with 7 pallets!
The blessing in our dad's death is that the devastation & pain of Uncle Rogers death and of Vietnam is now gone. We honestly don't know a lot about his Vietnam service time, we know it had a major impact on his life and we know that it wasn't something he wanted to talk about, it was something you talked about with other Vets that related, there just wasn't a way for anyone else to really understand.
He enjoyed and spent a lot of time analyzing numbers and with the help of The Consumers Report subscription he was sure to get the best product for the value. He craved learning new things, reading a variety of books and articles and when his 3rd Grandson Isaac was born with Down syndrome he picked up a book to understand what that really meant. From the notes we found he currently had been studying the presidents. He loved his conversation pieces, Plastic, Hope, Bob, the tarantula and all his Camels. Throughout his life he enjoyed canoeing, hunting, riding his bike, tinkering around, playing chess, pranking anyone, his Rum & Coke, Mountain Due, Kool-Aid, and don't forget the Spam. But most of all He enjoyed his friends, picking up where he left off , whether it be a week or years since he saw them last.
We could talk about who he was and what he accomplished but it's really not necessary; everyone here knows what an interesting and amazing person he was and how much he will be missed by so many. Several of you have shared stories about him with us the past few days and we hope that you will continue to do that today and in the future.
One of the things he enjoyed doing the most was having a good time. So no big surprise It was his wish to have a party tonight at the Vet's Club in Stanton, unfortunately they have a wedding tonight, so the party's at Oswald Seed Company. We invite you all to join us in Celebrating his Life. You bring the Coke, we'll bring the Rum!
