Darwin Leroy Kroupa
(March 15, 1927-October 22, 2002)
Darwin Leroy Kroupa AuTrain – Darwin Leroy Kroupa, age 73, of E5400 Woodland Avenue, AuTrain, died surrounded by his family on Tuesday, October 22, 2002, at 12:00 noon at the Munising Memorial Hospital where he had been a patient for six days.
Darwin was delivered into this world by his grandmother at the home of his parent’s, the late Harry and Belle (Carr) Kroupa in Thomasville (Indiantown), Michigan on March 15, 1927.
A descendent of the Grand Island Band of Chippewa, Bear Clan of Power of the Airs, and Chief Nah-ben-ay-ash, Darwin was given the Native American name Wawageeshi. He was raised in Indiantown and attended school in Munising. Darwin worked at the Atlas Plywood and Munising Paper Company before enlisting into the U.S. Navy on September 21, 1944. Darwin was a WWII veteran serving as Seaman First Class in the AsiaticPacific aboard the USS LST 487 and the USS Admiral Hugh Rodman (AP-126). He was discharged from the Navy on July 17, 1946 and then worked in the woods logging.
Darwin married Marjorie Ann Bonevelle on July 14, 1951.
He owned and operated Kroupa Logging for years. He was a heavy equipment operator for Lindberg & Sons and I.L. Whitehead. Darwin was a member of the Operating Engineers Union for over forty years and a member of the Teamsters prior to that.
Darwin and his family have been at St. Therese Parish for over fifty-one years and he was also a member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians. Darwin loved the woods and enjoyed hunting, fishing, slot machines, vegetable gardening, and watching the news and war movies.
He is survived by his wife of over fifty-one years – Margie Kroupa of AuTrain; 8 children – Brenda Kroupa of Harvey, Debra (Robert) Johnson of Munising, Rebecca Strand of Munising, Marcus Kroupa of AuTrain, Laura Kroupa of Munising, Darla (Cary) Lincoln of AuTrain, John (Jill) Kroupa of AuTrain, and Dr. Michelle (Todd) Kroupa-Kulik of Traunik; grandchildren – Thomas (Deanne), Heather, Marcus, Michael (Heather), Daniel, Barry (Jamie), Rebecca (Christopher), Amy, Jamie, Melinda, Melissa, Maria, Angela, Jesse, Sabrina, Heidi Jo, Ashley, Jimmy, Andrea, Mikey, Nikki, Scott, Johnny Ray, Hannah, Benjamin, Joshua, Isabelle Rose, and a new grandbaby to be born any day; great-grandchildren – Jason, Thomas, Savannah, Ozzie, Travis, Brandon, Carissa, Michael, Andrew, Matthew, Alex, Trevor, Christopher, Devon, Tyler, and Nathaniel “Brutus”; brother – Harry Blair Leona) Kroupa of Munising; sisters – Dolores (Arthur) LeVeque of Indiantown and Juanita (Charles) Marble of Munising; and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins. Besides his parents, Darwin was preceded in death by a grandson Jason Darwin Hyde, three brothers, Leon Beverly Kroupa, John Dayton Kroupa, and Zane Atley Kroupa, a niece Renee Kroupa, and a nephew David Darwin Kroupa.
Friends may call at the Bowerman Funeral Home on Thursday evening from 5:00 until 8:00. Rev. John Arbogast will conduct a service at 7:00 p.m. Darwin’s funeral service will be on Friday, October 25, 2002 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Therese Catholic Church in AuTrain, where Father Thomas Thekkel will conduct the service. Interment will be at the Serenity Pines Cemetery in AuTrain and the Alger County Veterans Council will conduct military honors.
Source: Marquette Mining Journal, 24 Oct 2002