Richard W. Kuepper

Richard W. “Dick” Kuepper, 83, of Shawano, passed away peacefully early Saturday morning, March 13, 2021, at Birch Hill in Shawano. Dick was born on Oct. 5, 1937, in Milwaukee, a son of Charles and Mildred (Dunlap) Kuepper. Richard excelled at athletics, lettering in football and track, setting several records. After graduating high school, Richard moved to San Antonio, Texas, to attend Trinity University. After finishing college he returned to Wisconsin and worked as a counselor at Camp Lannon Fields Farms. It was there he met and fell in love with fellow counselor, Lynne Folstad, of Barron. The love of his life, they married on June 13, 1959, in Barron, and settled in Clintonville. In 1970, the couple moved to Shawano, where they remained for the rest of their 61-year marriage. In Shawano, Richard worked his way up from loan officer to vice president of Citizens State Bank, and led the Rotary Youth Exchange program. He was proud of his work as a long-time Rotary member and received two Paul Harris awards. He and Lynne hosted four exchange students over the years: Karen Israelsson from Sweden, Marcia Costa from Brazil, Astrid Solberg from Norway, and Jussi Toivonen from Finland. A testament to their commitment, Richard and Lynne kept in touch with all their “kids,” travelling across the globe to visit them. They loved to travel, taking trips to Finland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Brazil, with Richard even venturing into St. Petersburg, Russia. Long known for his amazingly beautiful woodworking skills, in later life Richard enjoyed touring and exhibiting his work — from small boxes to large dressers and desks — at art fairs. He acknowledged, however, that his greatest achievement was his family. Richard is survived by his daughters, Wendy (Jon) Kofoot, of Savage, Minnesota, and Kathy (Dan) Braun, of Shawano; his granddaughters, Haanah Braun, of Northfield, Minnesota, and Maris Braun, of Seattle, Washington; his nieces, Robin Baird, of Arlington, Virginia, and Carol (Lynwood) Harris, of Coppell, Texas; his great-niece, Casey (Brad) Williams, and great-great-nephews Cambell and Camden, of Lewisville, Texas; and his international family who loved him dearly. He was preceded in death by his wife, Lynne; his parents, Charles and Mildred Kuepper; and his sister, Lucy. A time to gather and share memories of Richard and Lynne Kuepper will be held on Saturday, March 20, 2021, from 1-4 p.m. at Mickelson Funeral Service in Shawano. A funeral service for Richard and Lynne will be held at a later date. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the family requests masks be worn while in attendance and social distancing be followed. Graveside services will take place at a later date at Wayside Cemetery in Barron, with Pastor Mary Anne Conklin officiating. In lieu of flowers and plants, memorials are preferred to the Alzheimer’s Association at act.alz.org>donate. Mickelson Funeral and Cremation Service of Shawano is assisting the family with arrangements. Please share online condolences at www.mickelsonfs.com. “The family would like to thank the amazing caregivers at Birch Hill for their loving care.”