Ralph Joseph Keppers

Age 97 of Shoreview, passed peacefully into Eternal Life on November 3, 2023. Preceded in death by his wife of nearly 70 years, Patricia; son, Kenneth. Survived by his six children, Deborah (Tony) Sanders, MaryLynn Riesch, Kathleen (Pat) Kelly, Andrew, Paula Gallagher and Anna Lund; daughter-in-law, Judith Keppers; 8 grandchildren; 7 great-grandchildren; siblings, Rita (Jim) Flanagan, Evelyn (Tom) Malone, Virginia Krier and David (Mary); sister-in-law, Alice Keppers. Founding member and a pillar of his church. After retirement Ralph was a volunteer-extraordinaire at his church; no task was too large or too complicated. And he always wore his smile. Visitation Thursday, Nov. 9 from 4-7PM at HOLCOMB-HENRY-BOOM-PURCELL, 515 Hwy 96 W, Shoreview. Mass of Christian Burial 12 Noon (visitation begins at 11AM) Friday, Nov 10 at ST ODILIA CATHOLIC CHURCH, 3495 N. Victoria, Shoreview. Interment Saint Odilia Prayer Garden. Memorials preferred to St. Odilia Endowment Fund. Warm memorable moments in Ralph's life... Born on August 22, 1926, near Avon, Minnesota, Ralph was the son of Jerome and Marie Keppers, the first born of ten children. He grew up on a dairy farm in Bluffton, Minnesota. He entered the US Navy In November 1945, serving as a machinist for two years on a tanker in the Pacific Ocean to the Red Sea. Upon his discharge, he attended Atlas Diesel School in St. Louis, Missouri. After he graduated in September 1949, he was hired at Cummins Diesel as a Diesel Mechanic, staying there for 42 years, retiring at the age of 65. He met the love of his life, Patricia Billy, while roller skating in White Bear Lake, during a Snowball Dance. The girls were on the inside circle and the guys were on the outside circle. When the whistle blew you would pick a new partner, and this is how they met. They were married on October 10, 1950. Ralph and Patricia, along with the help of Ralph's brothers, built their home in Shoreview, moved there in the fall of 1953 and continued to live there until a year ago. After a bad accident at home, Ralph spent his last year at Saint Therese Senior Living at St. Odilia in Shoreview. Here he was well cared for by the staff and continued playing cribbage and solving jigsaw puzzles. He was close to his church which enabled frequent visits by his long-time friends and the Pastoral staff, and allowed him to attend daily mass. Ralph and Patricia raised seven children while enjoying gardening, fishing, traveling, and camping. They also enjoyed puzzles, playing cards and board games, especially 500 and cribbage. Both of them had "green thumbs." With their ample garden produce, Ralph, along with Patricia, were known for their hundreds of homemade jars of dill pickles at the fall festivals, along with jars of their homemade horseradish at bake sales. Upon his retirement, Ralph became a volunteer extraordinaire at his church, St. Odilia in Shoreview, where he was a founding member and pillar of the church. He was very involved with the building and grounds, and maintaining anything mechanical. He changed the lightbulbs for 25 years, stopping only when he reached the age of 90 when it was deemed he would be safer if he stayed off tall ladders and stayed closer to the ground. If anyone needed a helping hand, he was the go-to-person. And always with a smile on his face. For many years he would pick up bread for the poor and deliver food collected at mass to the food shelves on a weekly basis. Ralph is survived by his six children, Deborah (Tony) Sanders, MaryLynn Riesch, Kathleen (Pat) Kelly, Andrew, Paula Gallagher, and Anna Lund; daughter-in-law Judith; grandchildren, John (Kelly) Kenley, Michael (Alicia) Kelly, Michael (Lindsey) Weinerman, Michael (Erin) Riesch, Brian Riesch, Madeline and Patrick Gallagher, Rozlynn Lund and Sierra Sanders; and great-grandchildren, Logan, William and Meagan Kenley, Dale and Quinn Kelly, Mabel and Felix Weinerman. He is also survived by siblings Evelyn (Tom) Malone, Rita (Jim) Flanagan, Virginia Krier, Dave (Mary) Keppers; and sister-in-law Alice Keppers. He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Patricia, his son Kenneth, and brothers Richard, Urban, Victor, Willard, and LeRoy.

Tributes

Ralph Joseph Keppers

August 22, 1926 - November 3, 2023

Tributes

Ralph Joseph Keppers

August 22, 1926 - November 3, 2023

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