Ralph E. Kephart

KEPHART FRANCIS SOLOMON PRAHM PALMER HAHN

Posted By: diane beier (email)
Date: 6/19/2022 at 14:05:21

Ralph E. Kephart, 101, of Hazleton, Iowa died on May 25, 2022, at the Buchanan County Health Center in Independence.

Public Visitation: 4:00 to 7:00 P.M. Wednesday, June 8, 2022, at the Jamison-Schmitz Funeral Home in Oelwein.

Public Masonic Service: 7:00 P.M. Wednesday at the funeral home by the Hebron Masonic Lodge #374 A.F. & A.M. of Oelwein.

A Private Family Graveside Service will be held at Hazleton (Fontana) Cemetery, Hazleton with military honors by the Oelwein American Legion Ross Reid Post #9.

Ralph Edward Kephart was born March 31, 1921, in Oran, Iowa, the son of William E. and Elizabeth (Francis) Kephart. At the age of 17, he went into the CCC Camp and helped build Backbone State Park. A year later, Ralph entered the United States Army, and proudly served in WWII. He was a combat vet of the Western Front, fought in west Africa, returned to England for training and then hit the Normandy beachhead into France as a combat engineer on D-Day plus 2. He was part of Battle of the Bulge, and his division was the first to enter Berlin. On August 11, 1946, he was united in marriage to Margaret Solomon at Fayette, Iowa. Ralph worked in Earl’s Garage in Oelwein as a mechanic for many years. He then went to work for Farm Service providing LP gas and farm fuel to farmers. After a leak in one of the tanks he was filling damaged his lungs, he applied to teach auto mechanics in Calmar at the newly established VoTech school, now called Northeast Iowa Community College. He was immediately hired because of his vast experience in the maintenance of cars. While teaching classes, they assisted him in attaining a teaching certificate (based upon his auto mechanic work experience.) He drove back and forth between Hazleton and Calmar for 14 years. Margaret died in 1999. In 2000, he married Margaret Prahm. Ralph was a member of the Trinity United Methodist Church in Hazleton, where he served as Sunday School superintendent for many years. He was a past member of the Waterfall Masonic Lodge #511 of Hazleton, where he served as Worshipful Master and Hebron Masonic Lodge #374 A.F. & A.M. of Oelwein. Ralph also served on the Hazleton City Council and Hazleton Volunteer Fire Department. Ralph enjoyed shopping and trading cars, CB radios, fishing, cruising up and down the Mississippi River, archery, golf, bowling, playing the guitar, harmonica and singing, woodworking and wintering in Texas.

Ralph is survived by his 2 sons: Ralph W. (Charlotte) Kephart of Anamosa and Dean A. Kephart (Mark Tazik) of Minneapolis; 7 grandchildren; and 8 great grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents, 2 wives; brother: Floyd Kephart; and 2 sisters: Fern Palmer and Gladys Hahn.