Obituary of James Koep

James Henry Koep was born August 31, 1928, at Melfort, Saskatchewan, the eldest son of Veronica and Henry Koep. The Koep family moved to Humboldt, Saskatchewan, while Jim was very young. He attended Humboldt Separate School for grades 1-8 under the direction of the Ursuline Sisters; then Humboldt High School for grades 9-11; and St. Peter’s College, Muenster, for grade 12 under the guidance of the Benedictine Fathers. He graduated in 1946 and went on to Success Business College in Saskatoon. In September, 1947, Jim moved to Lloydminster and worked as an accountant for Lyon’s Well Services. He found the oil business very exciting and maintained his interest in it for the rest of his life. In June, 1952, Jim joined London Life Insurance Company, a business his father had been with since 1929. Jim opened the first London Life office in Lloydminster, and through further study earned his Chartered Life Underwriters degree from the University of Toronto. Jim was a master member of the Honor Club within the company for 36 years and Honor Club President for the years 1980 and 1981; then he became Chairman of the President’s Corps in 1982. From 1981 to retirement, he served on the Advisory Council whose members are in an advisory position to London Life management as to field matters. Jim retired in 1989, but continued to work on special contract in this field. His son, John, joined London Life on March 21, 1983, and Jim enjoyed sharing the office with him. Rose and Jim were married July 2, 1955, at Watson, Saskatchewan, and they resided in Lloydminster all their married lives. Jim was always proud of their children, John, Tom and Sandra, and enjoyed their accomplishments with them. He found fatherhood a rewarding experience. Jim was also pleased with and proud of his daughters-in-law, Kathy and Celeste. He found his grandchildren a delight. Jim’s community involvement included a long membership in St. Anthony’s Roman Catholic Church, where he served on several committees through the years, and as secretary-treasurer of the first Roman Catholic Separate School Board in Lloydminster. He was a charter member of the Knights of Columbus; and a charter member of the Lloydminster Lion’s Club. The Rotary International was an interest for many years and he received an honorary life membership and a Paul Harris Fellowship. Other areas of interest were a membership in the Lloydminster Gish and Game; a founding membership in the Lloydminster Gun Club (trap and skeet); and service in Duck’s Unlimited. His hobbies were fishing and hunting; reading and writing of prose and poetry. Him loved attending the children and grandchildren’s hockey games and special events of their young lives. Jim said, “I love Lloydminster; my roots are deep. It is an open and honest town!” And in his later years of illness he said, “I have been stricken with Parkinsons, but I am trying to live the motto: I have Parkinsons, but Parkinsons doesn’t have me!” Jim Koep entered into eternal rest on Monday, November 19, 2007, at the age of 79 years. In St. Anthony’s Roman Catholic Church, the Mass of Christian Burial was presided over by his brother, Reverend Kenneth Koep, and assisted by Reverend Jan Sobkowicz and Reverend Lawrence Agorchukwu. Jim’s sister, Marjorie Koep was urn-bearer and his six grandchildren served as the honorary pallbearers. Ted William, in kind words, expressed his appreciation of the friendship they shared for many years. Jim Spenrath and Michael Hall read selections from the Old and New Testaments. Pat Hankey and Cheryl Hall were most appreciated in the music ministry. Jim was predeceased by: his mother and father, Veronica and Henry Koep his sisters, Louise Koep Pelkey and Eleanor Koep Thompson brother, Robert Koep brothers-in-law, Jim Thompson and George Leier sister-in-law, Helen Prickett niece, Joan Leier Jim is survived by: his wife, Rose son, John and his wife Kathy Fitzsimonds Koep and grandchildren, Kristofer Koep and Andrew Koep son, Tom and his wife Celeste Bowes Koep and grandchildren, Connor Bowes-Noyes, Evan Bowes-Noyes and Mackenzie Koep daughter, Sandra and grandchild, Rene Koep brother, Reverend Kenneth Koep sister, Marjorie Koep brother-in-law, Lynal Pelkey brother-in-law, Norman Gierl and his wife Maxine Gierl brother-in-law, Melvin Prickett sister-in-law, Margaret Koep and numerous nieces and nephews and their families. EULOGY FOR JIM KOEP Welcome to this celebration of Jim’s life with us and to fondly reminisce the way he touched us with his love, friendship, and Christian way of living. Thank-you Rose and family for asking me to do the eulogy. Out of all his many friends, you chose me. I feel honoured and humbled because of this. Jim and I go back a long time, but only in the last 35 years has that relationship been cemented into a true friendship – through our mutual love of hunting. My early remembrance of Jim was how he hunted compared to how I did. First we kept bumping into each other in the field – Jim liked to fence line, jump shoot ducks (there were no geese around Lloyd then) or do a sneak up on the birds, while I liked spotting to locate an early morning slough shoot or a field to set up in later. As things progressed, we started hunting together, planned hunts. We did make some compromises, I fence lined and he got up early at times. We hunted together most of those years. We had many wonderful hunts, some great experiences in story tellings and family involvements. Because of these hunts and togetherness, Jim’s true characteristics came to the fore. First you came to know Jim loved hunting, the outdoors, and everything that went with it. He realized to have game to hunt, you had to manage wildlife. Jim was active in Ducks Unlimited and other groups and associations involved in conservation. He also made sure young people understood the outdoors and to appreciate how great it was. Jim had a love for children, both his own family and those in the neighbourhood. He was involved in taking field trips to gather eggs, shoot crows as well as taking them for ice cream and coaching hockey. One of his sons told me he may have lacked hockey skills but he knew how to get the kids to have fun. Because of Jim’s love for children, our (Vera May and my) son is a very good bird shooter. Jim spent a lot of time teaching Mark how to shoot (of course I had to supply the shells, but it was worth it). Jim was probably one of the best shots I ever hunted with (Rose it was really a toss-up – you or Jim). As good a shot as Jim was, we often wondered why he picked out the hens rather that the green-heads. When we (Jim, Con Porth and I) started hunting together, it was always Jim’s job to get approval from the land owner. You see, Jim knew almost everybody around Lloyd and his good standing with them assured us of getting the okay to hunt. Often the land owner would phone Jim to tell him where the birds were. This is a true testimony of Jim’s character and the high regard people had in Jim. There are so many fond memories of my relationship with Jim, which also became a relationship with Jim’s family. I doubt that there was anything more important to Jim than family – both his and yours. We got to know his wife and his children. We got to hunt and visit with Rose and the same with his brother, Father Ken, Jim’s sister, Marg, (never hunted with her but she enjoyed the stories) and his army nephew. Jim had a way of putting the best construction on every situation. Never did he want anyone to look bad, or feel bad. He tried to make people feel good about themselves and look good to others. There were times when Rose didn’t hunt with us, and when we got home, he’d say – Ted was really hitting, yeah I got two but he got 8 out of 10. Jim got a lot of pleasure when other people did well, he was NOT a jealous or envious man. He was happy for you when good things happened to you. We had our grandson with us one summer and during the course of the week one night he plunked himself between Vera May and I and said, “I’m going to spend some quality time with the people I love.” I told this to Jim and over the years he referred to it often in how we spent our time. Jim’s acts of fairness, honesty, and abiding by the rules were not restricted to hunting, they were a very part of his whole life. He never took advantage of anyone, he never tried to sell something someone didn’t need nor could afford. His selling style was opposite to the stereo-type salesman. Most of us here no doubt could relate to a time Jim was giving rather than receiving. Jim was a very compassionate man. He noticed when someone was in need, whether it was a hand-out, a kind word, a pat on the back, or just a smile. A couple of weeks ago, I was at the Dr. Cooke when the ladies were serving ice cream. The lady serving Jim mentioned how often over the years Jim had given her rides to work in cold weather. Again most of us here can relate to Jim’s caring actions. Jim, in his later years in the Dr. Cooke, went through some pretty tough times, a lot of suffering as his condition slowly took it’s toll. But Jim never gave up hope nor his general cheerful attitude. It was his strong faith, he often expressed how kind and thoughtful people were. He was thankful for the care given him. If he had any regrets, it was the trouble he was putting people through, especially Rose and his family. He appreciated the visits and the attention all his family and friends bestowed on him. You could see his eyes twinkle with the pleasure this gave him. Not often does a person get the opportunity to extol the virtues of a very good friend to his friend’s peers. Maybe hunting was a thread for our friendship but that in itself is not enough to hold a lasting relationship for me, it was Jim’s personal traits – those of sincerity, honesty, kindness, loyalty, and compassion. For these reasons I am here today. Rose, I know you lost a beloved husband, John, Tom, Sandra, and your families have lost a father and grandfather, and all of us have lost a true friend. Today we say thanks to God for letting us share his time with us and we celebrate the life he had. Go in peace and joy. Card of Thanks The family of James Koep would like to extend our sincere appreication for all the kindness shown to us during our recent loss. Special thanks to Dr. Jill Lakins and Dr. Tom Cavanagh for all their care through the many years of Jim’s illness; and special thanks to all the nurses and staff of the Dr. Cooke Extended Care facility for their professional care and loving attention to Jim’s needs during many stressful situations. Thank you to Reverend Kenneth Koep of Regina, Reverend Jan Sobkowicz and Reverend Lawrence Agorchukwu of St. Anthony’s Catholic Church for the touching service; thank you to Pat Hankey and Cheryl Hall for the music ministry; Michael Hall and Jim Spenrath for the readings; and the C.W.L ladies for the lovely lunch. A special thanks to Ted William for the kind words in the eulogy and the many personal visits with Jim during the years. Thank you to the grandchildren, some of whom came long distances to be here. Thanks to Andrew and Mackenzie for being gift-bearers; Marjorie Koep for being the urn-bearer, and special thanks to Connor for playing his bagpipes at the grave site. Thanks to all who came to say good-bye to Jim at the service in the church. Thank you to McCaw Funeral Service staff for their attention to all the many details and their personal kindness to our needs. And then too, many thanks to all our friends who sent flowers, brought food, made donations, made phone calls and visits, and sent cards of encouragement to all our families. The Koep Families Donations in memory of Jim may be made to the Parkinson's Society or to the Dr. Cooke Patient Comfort Fund.