Robert Neperud

Robert Allen (Bob) Neperud, 82, passed away on June 4, 2017 surrounded by his children at Olathe Medical Center. He was born in Superior Wisconsin on October 7, 1934 to Roy and Mildred Neperud. He graduated from Eau Claire Senior High School in 1952. He served in the Air Force from 1954-1962.

Bob's first job was at his father's dairy in Delano Minnesota at the age of 14 followed by working for Dolly Madison after high school. He developed a great love for butter, cheese and his ultimate favorite…ice cream. We feel this was a very pivotal time in his life as he loved to trace his old delivery route during each family trip through Wisconsin. We were always amazed that he knew where every ice cream shop was along the way. We have all acquired the same love and he will be remembered with every scoop.

Bob received his Bachelors of Science in math and physical science in 1962 from Wisconsin State College of Eau Claire. He began teaching Advanced Math and Physics at Whitehall High School in 1963. He was so proud of his teaching years and the impact he made on many lives. He has kept in contact with many of his students and attended the Whitehall 50th class reunions during the past 2 years.

The family transferred to Amery Wisconsin when he joined Northern States Power (NSP) in 1967. He worked as a sales representative until he was named personnel coordinator and moved to Eau Claire. In 1976, he was promoted to Safety Director and transferred to Minneapolis. In 1980 he started working as Safety Director at Federated Rural Electric Insurance Company in Waunakee Wisconsin and later moved to Olathe Kansas. He often spoke about how proud he was of his work in the safety industry and how he felt his work saved many lives and spared others from injury. He was very proud of all the training videos he produced. We had the honor of viewing all of them, usually just to see his right hand or his name in credits at the end. When we were not following his dairy route through Wisconsin we were following where he had helped with the electricity on bridges and in rural areas. We all believe everyone would still be living in the dark in Wisconsin without his assistance. When he retired in 2000 from Federated he had received several awards including the Distinguished Service to Safety Award from the National Safety Council. He could not give up his love for work and continued doing odd jobs for St. Paul's United Methodist Church, and drove cars for Federated, Olathe Ford and Ottawa Ford.

He married Kathryn Neperud (Peterson) on July 16, 1960 and had five children Cheryl, Debra, Bradley, Julia and Angela. He married Ronelle Neperud (Menefee) on June 28, 1992 and gained the love of 2 of her children, Marcia and Jeff.

He will be greatly missed by his children Cheryl Wayne (Stuart), Debra Neperud Rialti (Terry), Bradley Neperud (Heidi), Julia Neperud (Ron Girbert), Angela Neperud (boyfriend Matt Sima), Marcia Menefee (Jordan Decker), Jeff Menefee (Denise) and his grandchildren Jessica, Annie, Molly, Nicole, Grace, Luke, Ava, Alaina, Aidan, Anna, Aria and his great grandson Harrison. He also leaves behind his sisters Carolyn Marquardt, Mary Anderson (Donn) and several cousins, nieces and nephews. Bob is preceded in death by his parents Roy and Mildred Neperud; brothers George, Roy Jr., Donald and sister Joyce Rood.

If you knew Bob, you know he was very proud of his kids. He was also extremely proud of his Wisconsin and Norwegian heritage. He had a passion for the Green Bay Packers and golf and nothing could beat a bowl of ice cream and a good piece of Walleye. Throughout his is life he enjoyed many activities surrounded by his friends and family. He will be remembered by all for his sense of humor, the smirk on his face, his unique mannerisms, relentless teasing and bantering and all the good stories he had to tell. We admired his ability to find a connection with everyone he met and how he always went out of his way to keep those connections strong, often traveling out of his way to do so.

In Lieu of flowers the family requests charitable donations to The American Heart Association, The American Diabetes Association or the National Safety Council.

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