Myron Keppy

https://hawkeyerecap.com/player.asp?id=976

https://www.gibsonbodefh.com/obituaries/Myron-R-Keppy?obId=28307148

Myron Ralph Keppy, 58, of Port Byron, IL, passed away unexpectedly Wednesday, June 28, 2023 at his home. Services will be held on Monday, July 3rd, 2023 at 10:30 AM in the Riverdale Middle School Gymnasium, 9822 – 256th St. N., Port Byron, IL. Visitation will be held from 3-7 PM, Sunday, July 2nd at the Middle School Gymnasium and for 1 hour prior to services on Monday. Private family burial will be in Oak Grove Cemetery, Port Byron. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Riverdale Education Foundation to fund a scholarship in Myron’s name. Gibson – Bode Funeral Home, Port Byron is assisting with arrangements.

Myron was born February 16, 1965 in Davenport, IA, to Ralph A. and Lorraine R. (Kraft) Keppy, Jr. He graduated from Durant High School in 1983 where he was a standout student athlete. He went on to attend Ellsworth College, later transferring to the University of Iowa where he played defensive line on the football team from 1985-1988. After college, Myron married Lori Paulsen on June 11, 1988 in Garner, IA.

Myron worked at Riverdale High School for 35 years before retiring just a month ago. Throughout his years at Riverdale, he taught PE, coached football, baseball, and wrestling. He had a very successful tenure as the head wrestling coach. During the summers he worked for Pioneer Seed and ran a detasseling crew.

In his free time Myron enjoyed golfing with his friends and playing in the Monday night league at Byron Hills. He loved watching the Kansas City Chiefs, the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Chicago Bears. When not teaching or coaching, Myron could still often be found at the school supporting the student athletes or volunteering for one of the many sports fundraisers. Coach Keppy was a mentor to so many students throughout his years at Riverdale. He will be missed by many.

Myron is survived by his wife Lori; his children, Collin (Ashley) Keppy, Mitchell (Taylor) Keppy, and Kara Keppy (James Turkal), all of Port Byron; a brother Loren (Jeantee) Keppy of Durant, IA; and his grandchildren Payton, Charlotte and Nora Keppy. He was preceded in death by his parents, and his in-laws, Larry and Faith Ann Paulsen. Share a memory or condolence at www.gibsonbodefh.com

https://qctimes.com/sports/high-school/a-total-shock-to-everybody-l...

PORT BYRON — Four weeks ago, Myron Keppy was starting to settle into a peaceful life of retirement.

After a 35-year career as a teacher and coach in the Riverdale School District, the 58-year-old Keppy was ready for the next chapter of his life as a grandfather and continued supporter of Ram athletics.

Sadly, that chapter will never be written.

Keppy suddenly passed away at his Port Byron home on Wednesday, leaving the entire Riverdale community in a state of shock.

"He dedicated 35 years to this school district, he just retired at the end of May, and he was looking forward to the next chapter as a grandpa and living out the rest of his life," said Riverdale athletic director Guy Dierikx. "Nobody expected it to be that short.

"It's tough. F58 years old. He was taken too soon. Nobody deserves this."

A 1983 graduate of Durant High School where he starred in both football and wrestling, Keppy attended the University of Iowa and played on the Hawkeye football team's defensive line before moving on to begin his teaching career at Riverdale in 1988.

Over the next 35 years, Keppy served his new home in a variety of ways. He taught physical education first at the middle school level and then at the high school. Keppy also served as a coach in football, wrestling and baseball.

"He was the head of the P.E. department for a long time, and he did many other things for the district," Dierikx said. "He ran the scoreboard at volleyball matches and took tickets for girls and boys basketball games."

A longtime assistant for the Rams' football program as well as their head baseball coach from 1989-93, Keppy made the biggest name for himself with the Riverdale wrestling squad.

As head coach from 1994 to 2010 and again from 2014 to this past season, Keppy's teams won over 400 dual meets and numerous Three Rivers Conference titles. The Rams also picked up 10 IHSA regional championships, which led to state appearances in 1996, 2000, '03, '04 and '07.

Keppy also coached 16 individual state medalists and seven state champions. One of those medalists was 2005 Riverdale graduate Aron Kindelsperger (third at 145 pounds in '05).

Kindelsperger returned to his alma mater upon graduating from Cornell College of Iowa in '09, serving two stints as one of Keppy's assistants as well as one season (2010-11) as head coach. He was recently tapped to succeed his prep mentor for the second time as the Rams' head man.

"I wrestled under Kep and played football for him with Guy, and I learned a lot under him," Kindelsperger said. "In August of 2009, just after I graduated from college, he called and said he had an opening on his staff, and he wanted me to come back if I was interested."

Along with '04 Riverdale graduate Dierikx, Kindelsperger also played football for Keppy. That started a relationship that lasted for more than 20 years.

"I've been with 'Kep' at every level since 2001," said Kindelsperger. "What it honor it was, having a man running such a legacy of a program thinking that highly of me and saying, 'I want you to come do this.' And this past year, backing me and wanting me to take over this legacy.

"You're talking about a program that has just five head coaches over the last 50 years. That's pretty amazing."

Along with Keppy, another Three Rivers wrestling coach that retired at the end of the '22-23 school year was Erie-Prophetstown's Tod McCullough. He coached the E-P co-op from its beginning in 1997 after a season as Erie's head coach.

Over the years, McCullough's Panthers and Keppy's Rams staged several memorable battles as two of the conference's top teams.

"We had a mutual respect for each other, and our teams had a lot of good battles over the years," McCullough said. "We were both talking about enjoying retirement and our grandkids, getting away from everything and have time to do the things we wanted to do.

"I was shocked when I heard the news. I'm sad to hear this, and my heartfelt sympathies go out to his family and to the Riverdale community."

For his part, Kindelsperger hopes to do his part to build upon the legacy that Keppy carved out during his two highly successful tenures as the Rams' wrestling coach.

At the same time, he admits that the shock of Keppy's sudden passing will take some time to dissipate.

"It's pretty fresh right now. We're going to get through the (funeral) services, then take things as they come," he said. "It's a total shock to everybody. Just back in February, we were paying tribute to him at regionals, congratulating him on his retirement."

Both Dierikx and Kindelsperger agree that the mark Keppy made over his 35 years of service to the Riverdale district and community will be his lasting legacy.

"He was someone who was a mainstay in a lot of different things here," Dierikx said. "I've had a lot of retirees from here contact me when the heard about the news (of his passing). Everybody knows how hard he worked for Riverdale."

"Beyond the mat, he cared about improving people's lives," Kindelsperger added. "He was a man who cared about his community, and his family. He leaves a big hole that won't be filled for a long time."

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