Nikolaus Duppong

DUPPONG, HOERAUF, WILSON, NG, PECH, FALLBERGER, PAPP

Posted By: Tara (email)
Date: 9/14/2012 at 11:01:36

Nikolaus Duppong, 83, of Iowa City, died Monday, September 10, 2012 at Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines.

Visitation will be Wednesday, September 19th from 5:00 to 8:00 pm at Lensing Funeral Service in Iowa City. Funeral Services will begin Thursday, September 20th, at 10:00 am at the funeral home. Burial will be in Memory Gardens Cemetery in Iowa City.

Nikolaus Duppong was born on December 16, 1928 in Neuzina, Yugoslavia. Nikolaus , his parents and his sister came to the United States in 1952 with the help of the Duppongs in Glen Ullin, North Dakota. Nikolaus worked on 2 farms in the area, including Carl Ding’s farm, near Hebron and Matt Hermes’ farm near Glen Ullin.

Nikolaus served in the U.S. Army from 1953 to 1955. He became a U.S. citizen on July 1, 1955, while serving in the U.S. Army, and stationed at Fort Knox, Kentucky. Nikolaus married Gladys Hoerauf on July 3, 1954. He worked on Albert Hoerauf’s farm until February 1956 after being honorably discharged from the army. Nikolaus graduated from the Intermountain School of Telegraphy in Salt Lake City, Utah in September of 1956.

Nikolaus worked as a Rock Island Railroad depot agent for 8 years in Kansas, South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa. In August of 1961 Nikolaus moved his family to Iowa City Iowa. In 1965, Nikolaus transferred from the Rock Island Railroad to the United States Postal Service in Iowa City Iowa. He worked as a carrier, clerk, and window clerk. Nick retired from the Iowa City Postal Service in 1992 after 29 years.

Nikolaus went back to Neuzina, Yugoslavia with his daughter Scarlet in 1984 to show her his birthplace. He was an ethnic German and spent some months in Germany after fleeing from the communists in Yugoslavia. The opportunity then came to be sponsored to the U.S. by relatives from Germany. Nikolaus’ family traveled on a horse drawn wagon into Germany and in March 1952, came by ship, a 9 day journey, to Ellis Island, New York. From there they settled in Bismarck North Dakota.

He loved to call Iowa City his home. He was a proud grandpa of “the sweetest granddaughter anyone could wish for.” He was an active member of Faith United Church of Christ in Iowa City joining after coming to Iowa City in 1961.

Nikolaus is survived by his three daughters, Scarlet (Robert) Wilson, of Land O’ Lakes Wisconsin, Joy (Jackson) Ng, of Federal Way, Washington and Darcy Pech of West Des Moines Iowa and granddaughter Morgan Leigh Pech.

Nikolaus was preceded in death by his parents , Anton and Catherina (Fallberger) Duppong and his sister, Louise( Duppong) Papp.