Wilmer Heupel
June 29, 1928 - October 20, 2023
Obituary
Wilmer Robert Heupel died Friday, October 20, 2023, at St. Vincent's Hospital in Billings, Montana. He was born June 29, 1928, to Christina (Hoffman) Heupel and Phillip Heupel on the family homestead near Frederick, South Dakota.
He attended rural county school west of Frederick. The family then moved to a farm east of West Port, South Dakota, then later to Aberdeen, South Dakota in 1945.
He was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1950 and serviced in the 48th Armored Medical Battalion (known as the Hell on Wheels), attached to the 2nd Armored Division. He was assigned to an M35 surgical truck as a driver/medic.
He married Maggie (Magdalena Mathern), his first girlfriend, on January 26, 1951, on the Fort Hood, Texas Army base near Killeen, Texas. They met at a dance hall, the Roof Garden, in South Dakota.
His unit was ready to go to Korea in 1951, then the night before shipping out, orders were changed to go to Germany. The unit worked all night relabeling boxes of equipment to go to Europe. Maggie returned to Aberdeen to await his return.
He attended medical school in Bad Kreuznach, West Germany and returned from Germany in 1952.
He worked various jobs as hospital orderly, milkman, rural electric lineman, and finally what he loved, mechanic.
He worked for John Deere Brown County Implement in 1961 transferring for the John Deere Company to Billings, Montana John Deere dealership, Yellowstone County Implement in August 1965. He retired from John Deere in 1987 after 26 years of mostly repairing farm tractors. He loved the most repairing hay balers, getting them to tie just right.
He played baseball from age 15 until he couldn't. First base, third base, and sometimes catcher. First base, third base, and sometimes catcher. He thoroughly enjoyed playing and watching the game no matter who was playing, professional, little league, girls' softball, as long as it was a ballgame.
He was preceded in death by his parents Phillip and Christina Heupel, wife Maggie (Magdalena Mathern) Heupel, his brother Ervin (Avis) Heupel, sisters Esther (Robert) Suiter, Ella (Heupel) Harvey, Frances (Filip) Lacher, and infant daughter Darcie Heupel.
He is survived by his son Darrell(Jamie) Heupel, daughter Denise (Michael) Vogel, Grandchildren Michelle(Noah) Leschak, Heather Link, Robert Lee Heupel, Amber (Willis III) Woods, and great-grandchildren Asher and Jace Leschak, Harper Link, Willis Woods IV and Evelyn Woods and his sister Ruth Heupel (Walter)
Dance a polka with Mom and cheer on the baseball games, Dad. We will see you again.
We will see you again.