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LEONARD JOHN LOEPPKY
Born: Dec 27, 1937
Date of Passing: Dec 11, 2024
Send Flowers to the Family Offer Condolences or MemoryLEONARD JOHN LOEPPKY
After a brief illness with cancer, Len passed away peacefully in the early morning of Wednesday, December 11, 2024, at the Bethesda Regional Hospital, in Steinbach Manitoba.
Survived by Audrey, Len’s wife and soul mate of 58 years; three sons: Greg and wife Raschel, grandson Eric and wife Samantha, great-grandchildren, Luca and Rosie, grandson Carter and Breanne Perault and granddaughter Alarie; Doug and wife Carla, grandson Jaxen and wife Noa, and grandsons, Ryder and Tayten; Jon and wife Rhonda, granddaughters, Emma, Katelyn, and Madison. Len is survived by his siblings: sister Margaret Kehler, brothers, Jake (Carol), John (Linda), sister-in-law Frieda, and sister-in-law Donalda (Menno) Lepp.
Len had many nephews and nieces, two of which, Lorraine and Gail Kehler - Uncle Len was their second dad when their father tragically died when they were young.
Len was predeceased by his parents, Johann and Helena, sister Elma, brother Peter, parents-in-law, Linden and Margaret Penner, and nephew Kerry Lepp.
Len was born on December 27, 1937, at the Loeppky Homestead on Loeppky Road, south of Niverville, Manitoba. The first-born son destined to be a farm boy. At age five, he was diagnosed with Rheumatic Fever which resulted in heart damage. The doctor informed his parents, in Len's presence, that he would not live beyond the age of 30 and career choices would have to be non-strenuous, like a shoe cobbler or watch repairman. He credits his mother, an immigrant from Russia in 1922, who came from a family of educators for setting him on his path of learning. And as they say, the rest is history. From Normal School in 1956, followed by achieving his Bachelor of Arts, then Bachelor of Education, Masters in Education, and finishing in 1995 in London, England with his TEFLA Degree, Len never stopped learning.
Len’s spiritual journey started at home, nurtured in Christian faith. It wasn’t until his late teens, developing friendships with other Christian students at university, that he recognized his need for a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. God and His word have since been the source of Wisdom, Strength, Hope and Direction throughout his lifetime.
It’s difficult to incapsulate Len’s career life – as teacher and administrator from 1958 to 1997. Starting in Winnipeg, then Ghana, Africa, back to Winnipeg and then onto Steinbach until he retired in 1993. Len then launched the second phase of his teaching career, when he went on to teaching English and Administrator in Lithuania at LCC, then Providence College, and the Summer Language Institute in Kharkov, Ukraine. Len continued with his passion of genealogy, history, and travel as he organized and hosted many tours to Russia, Ukraine, Poland, and South America.
On November 14, after an MRI, Len was given the diagnosis of Prostate and Bone Cancer. How do you deal with that? Len chose acceptance and a grateful heart for defying the odds and living almost 87 years. He was thankful for God’s continued faithfulness, especially in giving him this time to end well. What a gift from God. Time. Len had taught us how to live but now he taught us how to die. He requested no public accolades by his family, instead we had the privilege of telling Len what he meant to us, sharing memories - laughing and crying. He thanked and encouraged each one of us. Firstly, thanking Audrey “the school public health nurse” who took a chance in July 1966 to marry a 28-year-old, who potentially only had two years to live, with being his trusted nurse to the end. He then expressed his gratitude and love to his children, grandchildren and two precious great-grandchildren - for all the joy and pride they brought into his life. Although Len never wanted a cellphone, he cherished FaceTime with family and friends near and far. He wanted us to keep making memories.
Len was not a perfect man, and he knew his own character flaws. Impatience. He didn’t appreciate people who were late and wasted his time. It was fitting that his last verbal words on Tuesday morning were “Patience is a virtue, never will it hurt you.”
The Family would like to extend our warmest appreciation to the nurses, doctors, and staff at Bethesda Hospital who provided care and compassion to both Len and Audrey these past few weeks. Audrey would like to especially acknowledge Henry for appearing at the right times and knowing just the right way to ensure Len was comfortable.
We love you, Len, Husband, Dad, Grandpa and Great-Grandpa Len. We will miss you. -Forever Your Family
The memorial service will take place on Tuesday, December 17, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. at the Emmanuel Evangelical Free Church in Steinbach. MB.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Len Loeppky Scholarship Trust Fund for LLC International University, care of Steinbach Credit Union.
As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Dec 14, 2024