Earl Strupp

Earl L. Strupp, 93, a resident of Ridgecrest Village of Davenport and formerly of Bettendorf, Iowa died on Friday, December 7, 2012 at Crest Health Center in Davenport.

A service to celebrate his life will be held at 10:00 A.M. Wednesday, December 12, 2012 in the Koning Chapel at Ridgecrest Village, 4130 Northwest Blvd. in Davenport.  The family will greet friends from 4:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. on Tuesday at the McGinnis-Chambers Funeral Home in Bettendorf and from 9:00 A.M. to 10:00 A.M. on Wednesday at the Koning Chapel.  In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Ridgecrest Village or Asbury United Methodist Church of Bettendorf where he was a member.

Earl was born June 9, 1919 in Rock Island, Illinois to Earl L & Hazel (Eckhardt) Strupp.  He graduated from Rock Island High School and served his country with the U.S. Navy Seabees in the South Pacific during World War II.

He married Julia Ann Vaughan in Rock Island on June 20, 1942 and were the proud parents of five children.  Julia preceded him in death on June 27, 1978.

Earl retired in 1981 as General Supervisor of Tooling and Machine Repair at John Deere Harvester Works in East Moline, Illinois after 34 years of faithful service.

He married Mary Ellen Burket in Bettendorf, Iowa on June 12, 1982 at Asbury United Methodist Church of Bettendorf and became a member there.  Earl & Mary Ellen enjoyed biking, hiking and traveling.

Earl loved the wood shop at Ridgecrest, big band music and classic westerns, especially those starring John Wayne.  He will be missed by many friends in the Quad-City Bike Club, Toastmasters, Kiwanis, the Blackhawk Hiking Club, the YMCA and the Valley Sports Car Club of America whose membership he treasured for over 50 years.

He will be lovingly remembered by his wife, Mary Ellen; his daughters, Kristine (Tony) Anthony of Camden, Arkansas, Hazel Branscom of Muskogee, Oklahoma and Betty (Don) Shellebarger of Milan, Illinois; his sons, Earl L Strupp Jr. of Rock Island and Steven (Bev) Strupp of East Moline, Illinois; his step-daughters, Marsha (Harry) Wells of Northbrook, Illinois, Karen (Peter) Byrne of Washington, D.C. and Mary Lou (Frank Howes) Burket of Minneapolis, Minnesota; fifteen grandchildren; sixteen great-grandchildren; and many other relatives and wonderful friends.

In addition to his first wife, he was preceded in death by his sister, Evelyn Pealstrom; and his brother, Col. Bob Strupp.