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Donald Roepke
DONALD WALTER ROEPKE
Brandon
Donald Walter Roepke, 73, of Brandon, Iowa, died Monday, Jan. 22, 2018, at Buchanan County Health Center in Independence.
Services at 10:30 a.m. Friday, Jan. 26, 2018, at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, Independence. Burial at Brandon Cemetery, Brandon, with military rites by Smith-Geater VFW Post #8884 of Vinton. Visitation from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 25 at White Funeral Home, Jesup, and for an hour before services Friday at the church. Memorials will be directed to the VFW Post #8884 of Vinton for the Voice of Democracy Program.
Don was born Aug. 9, 1944, in Waterloo, the son of Walter Stephen Roepke and Carolyn Doris (Jakway) Roepke. He graduated from Oelwein High School in 1961. He entered the United States Navy and served for 20 years. His service included time on aircraft carriers and was during the Vietnam War. He then was employed at Rockwell Collins in Cedar Rapids as a technical writer. He first married Margaret Spence and together they had five children, James, Maureen, Leslee, Gustav and Glenn. They later divorced. On Sept. 30, 1983, Donald and Donna Marie Rogers married and they were blessed with a daughter, Amanda.
Don is survived by his wife, Donna of Brandon; two sons, James Roepke of Haughton, La., and Gustav (Theresa) Roepke of Santa Monica, Calif.; three daughters, Maureen Roepke of Cedar Rapids, Leslee Roepke of Waterloo and Amanda (Andrew) Johnson of Rowley; 13 grandchildren, Ethan Roepke, Wyatt Roepke, Brianne Roepke, Adam Roepke, Charles "Mitchell" Carpenter, Cole Carpenter, Cameron Carpenter, Gunnar Roepke, Ashley Roepke, Isabella Johnson, Roman Johnson, Abigayle Johnson and Phillip Johnson; one brother, Leland Roepke (Kate Hemingway) of Aurora; and two sisters, Annette (Bill) Reimer of Elkader and Mary (Duane) Gerstenberger of Seattle, Wash.
His parents, Walter Roepke and Carolyn Roepke Brandt; two brothers, William and Kenneth Roepke; and one son, Glenn Roepke (in infancy), preceded him in death.
Don was an active member of Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Independence, and had served in various capacities for local VFW organizations, including commander of Bechter-Boies VFW Post #2440 of Independence and Smith-Geater VFW Post #8884 of Vinton. He also had served as the Veterans of Foreign Wars Department of Iowa State Commander in 2007
and 2008.
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