Kenneth "Ken" H. Graupmann
Kenneth "Ken" H. Graupmann, died Friday, May 10, 2024 at his home surrounded by his family. Memorial services will be 11:00 AM Thursday, May 16, 2024 at St. Martin's Lutheran Church in Alexandria, SD with burial at St Mary of Mercy Cemetery in Alexandria, SD. Visitation will be from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM Wednesday, May 15, 2024 at St. Martin's Lutheran Church with a prayer service beginning at 7:00 PM. There will be a second Memorial Service on Friday, May 17, 2024 from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM, with a prayer service beginning at 5:00 PM at the Great Hall in Kadoka, SD.
Kenneth “Ken” Hubert Graupmann was born Oct. 17, 1942, in Glencoe, MN to Hubert and Mabel (Norton) Graupmann. He graduated from Glencoe High school in May 1960.
He had a love of learning and continued his education at Concordia Teachers College in Seward, Nebraska. He graduated with a BS in education in August 1964. He achieved his MA in Elementary Education from Bemidji State University (graduated August 1976).
From his love of learning grew a devotion to teaching and educating. He got his first teaching job in 1964 and finally retired from it all in 2019. Throughout his career he taught at Immanuel Lutheran Elementary School (1964-1979), Long Valley Elementary School (1982-1994), Kadoka Middle School (1994-2005), and finally retired from the class room at Norris Elementary School (2005-2007). He then continued his role in education by doing after school programs for South Dakota Discovery Center from 2008-2016 and then did outreach for the Sanford Underground Lab from 2018-2019. Outside the class room he also enjoyed officiating basketball and football at Cedarburg, WI., and Kadoka, SD. He served and numerous boards, and committees both for the State and the local community, for the sake of brevity they will not be listed, but always remembered.
Ken was an avid outdoorsman. He enjoyed canoeing, hunting, fishing, birdwatching, and hiking. He spent many days out in the Boundary Waters Canoe area which combined two of his favorites, canoeing and fishing. He took many family and friends and shared his extensive knowledge of the area. In 1978 and 1979 he canoed the Canadian Northwest Territories. He could also be seen in the Long Valley area every hunting season trying to bag his deer.
While Ken had many titles, the title he cherished the most was Husband/Best Friend, Dad, and Grandpa. Ken met Mary at Long Valley Elementary School. What started as a beautiful friendship evolved into a beautiful marriage. Ken would describe Mary as the love of his life. They married on June 6, 1987. They had 3 wonderful children together, Andrew, Jessica, and Br. Paul (Neil). In their 36 years Ken and Mary did everything together. They loved to go on adventures and traveled to all 50 states. The summers were spent traveling around the country in a conversion van with the family in tow. Ken found the most joy in putting his family first. He was known to make sure his kids got the big bucks or the large fish that he found or hooked just to see the joy on their faces. He also ensured they learned how to be able to do these activities so one day they would be able to do it themselves and pass on the knowledge to the next generation. He was proud of all that his children have accomplished and provided support when needed. He was also known to spoil his wife. He spent their marriage making sure she was taken care of and always had a partner. In his later years when he became a grandpa he would spend hours reading or telling stories to the grandkids. He could also be found fishing when he was able and even got to take two of his granddaughters to the boundary waters. Ken was a selfless man who always made sure his family was provided for and put first.
One of the qualities that Mary loved most about Ken was his faith. He was at Church every Sunday, and when there wasn’t a pastor he would often lead the worship service. He preached multiple sermons at both Concordia Lutheran Church in Kadoka and Our Savior’s Lutheran Church Long Valley. One of his favorite passages of scripture was John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Ken is survived by His loving wife and best friend Mary (Kayser) Graupmann, his three children Andrew (Megan) Graupmann, Jessica Graupmann, Br. Paul (Neil) Graupmann F.H.S, five grandchildren, Gemma, Eve, Chiara, Peter, and Adelaide Graupmann, his sister Shirley (Robert) Buckentin, and numerous In-laws, nieces, and nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents, Hubert and Mabel Graupmann, his brother Roger Graupmann, and nephew Tim Buckentin.
In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund has been established in Ken's name or plant a tree in Ken's memory.
