Vernon "Barney" Kappers

Funeral services for Vernon C. "Barney" Kappers will be 10:30 A.M. Tuesday September 22,2009 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Ostrander with the Rev Linda Helberg officiating. Burial will be in the Ostrander Cemetery. Barney Kappers, age 85, of Spring Valley, died Wednesday September 16, 2009 at the Ostrander Care Center in Ostrander where he had resided since 2007. Vernon Cecil "Barney" Kappers was born September 17, 1923 on a farm near Cherry Grove, MN York Twp. Fillmore County. He was the 8th child of 11 born to John Kappers and Louise (Tienter) Kappers. He was raised in the Cherry Grove area and attended country schools there through the 8th grade. As a young man he worked as a farm laborer. He met his future wife at a Luther League meeting and on November 5, 1944 he was united in marriage to Judith Haugen at the Ostrander Lutheran Church Parsonage. To this union 5 children were born, 3 daughters; Sandra, Susan and Jo and 2 sons; James and Robert. After their marriage they made their home in Ostrander. In 1947 they moved to a farm northeast of Ostrander in Bloomfield Twp. where they lived for 12 years before purchasing the Frank Hellickson farm in Bloomfield Twp. Fillmore County in 1959. He lived there until 2007 when he moved to the Ostrander Care Center. He was a Dairy Farmer for the majority of his life and also worked seasonally for Kappers Construction Company for several years. He was a member of the National, State, and Rochester area Holstein Associations, and was a member of DHIA for over 40 years. He was semi retired but still had an interest in farming, feeding and caring for the farm animals, driving the tractor, tilling the ground, watching the crops grow and feeding the birds. He was a caring person who enjoyed being with his family, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Barney and his wife were 4-H Club leaders for nearly 50 years, being inducted into the Fillmore County Fair 4-H Hall of Fame in 2007. He served on the Fillmore County Fair Board for 17 years and served on the Ostrander Cemetery Board for many years. He was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Ostrander and served on the church council for several terms. He is survived by his wife Judith of Ostrander, 2 daughters; Susan (Jim) Cavanaugh of Spring Valley, MN and Jo (Mark) Bernard of New Richland, MN, 2 sons; James (Janet) Kappers of Spring Valley, MN and Robert (Jeanette) Kappers of Chatfield and a son-in-law; John Adams of Denver, CO. Barney is also survived by 10 grandchildren; Shari (Rex) McGraw, Jesse (Kim) Adams, Sally (Tyler) Broadwater, John Cavanaugh, Megan (Erik) Nelson, Ryan Kappers, Tyler Kappers, Jacob Kappers, Lucas Kappers and Ethan Kappers, 4 great-grandchildren; Colton, Noah, Emma and Lydia, 3 siblings; Bessie Berg of Ostrander, MN, Clayton "Sie" (Arlene) Kappers and Betty (Harold) Westphal both of Spring Valley, MN. He was preceded in death by his parents, his daughter, Sandra, in 1998, 4 brothers and 3 sisters. Friends may call at the Hindt Funeral Home in Spring Valley from 5-8 P.M. on Mondayand 1hr prior to the service on Tuesday at the church.

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