Jack Keppy

Jack Keppy was born on June 25, 1944, the son of Ralph and Viola (Peters) Keppy. He graduated from North Scott High School in 1962 and later trade school at Eastern Iowa Community College. On July 21, 1967, he married the love of his life, Beverly Roehs. Jack passed on March 5, 2026, after a hard-fought battle with cancer.

Visitation will be from 1:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. Sunday, March 15, 2026, at Schultz Funeral Home, DeWitt. A private funeral service will be held, and he will be laid to rest at Walcott Cemetery, alongside Beverly.

Jack’s life was a life fully lived, self-described as a ‘farmer with a lot of interests,’ and will forever have an impact on his family, friends, and community.

As one of seven brothers, Jack learned at an early age the value of hard work, teamwork, commitment, and leadership. During early adulthood, and throughout life, Jack embraced a love of country, beginning with his service in the Army National Guard and later membership with the American Legion.

While farming was Jack’s occupation, it was also his joy, and his operation primarily included hogs, corn, and soybeans. He was proud to be an Iowa 4-H swine winner, who later raised show pigs. Many would say he was a ‘Jack of all trades,’ as he could also be found doing custom baling or custom fencing.

Jack’s commitment to community was strong, with a passion for voluntarism and simply helping a neighbor. In his earlier days Jack was a natural leader in his 4-H club and in school, in roles such as club officers and class president. As an adult, he was superintendent of the National Belgium Horse Show and served on the board of directors for the Eldridge Coop, Cornbelt Running Club, and Scott County Extension council. In support of his personal interests, and those of his family, he was an active member of the Farm Bureau, Pork Producers, NS athletic boosters, NS music boosters, Cub Scouts, and 4-H.

Many will remember Jack for his love of athletics. Always a competitive member of athletic clubs and teams, the stories of basketball tournaments, fast-pitch softball tournaments, and track events are endless. In 2014 Jack, along with his track team, was inducted into the North Scott Athletic Hall of Fame. Always a fan of track & field events, he has also been volunteering at meets for the past several years. Jack always carried a mentality to do more, a tremendous benefit to the teams he played on, and community he served. If there was not a team or a league, he started them, which included a men’s basketball league, a men’s basketball team, and a men’s soccer tournament in the Quad-Cities, later coaching these same sports. As a result of Jack’s love for running, he was founder and director of the Donahue Sodbuster, the Resolution Run, created the Moonlight Chase, was involved with the Strawberry Stampede from its beginning, and proudly served as a Bix 7 Committee Chair for 40 years. The number of racing awards won are too numerous to count, and he was known to compete in a couple of races on any given weekend as a member of the Athletes Foot racing team. He later increased the distance, proudly completing many marathons, including the 100th running of the Boston Marathon.

When not farming, competing, or volunteering, Jack loved traveling, taking several vacations each year with Bev. Hawaii was a perennial favorite for them, beginning the year of their 25th anniversary, where they became friends with the locals in the Kailua-Kona area. Upon return from travel or other activities, Jack fully enjoyed the home and farm built with Bev. For fun, and when there was a little extra time, Jack could be found restoring horse-drawn buggies and sleighs, collecting antiques, remodeling the house or barns, polishing his knowledge of local and regional history, restoring his 1950 Chevy pick-up, or even building his own hot rod.

Jack’s zest for life was contagious and will be forever celebrated.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Bev; his parents, Ralph and Viola Keppy; two brothers, Ralph Jr. and Ned; and in-laws, Lawrence and Ruby Roehs.

Survivors include his children; daughter Wendy (Marc VanDeVoorde), son Jeff (Heather); granddaughters Jillian and Alene; brothers Allen, Lloyd, Larry, and Merle; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

In honor of Jack’s memory, donations are requested for either the Donahue Volunteer Fire Department or the Walcott Hearts and Hands Foundation.

Arrangements are in the care of Schultz Funeral Home, DeWitt. Condolences may be expressed at www.schultzfuneralhomes.com

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