Steven Clarence Luepke

Steven Clarence Luepke, age 75, of Glenwood City, died Tuesday, June 9, at Mayo Clinic Health System - Red Cedar in Menomonie.

Steve was raised primarily in Glenwood City, where he graduated from Glenwood City High School with the Class of 1968. Following graduation, he served in the United States Army and was stationed in New Jersey before receiving an honorable discharge. On November 15, 1975, he married the former Jean Ann Ross at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Glenwood City. This union was blessed with three children: Ryan, Scott, and Maria. The marriage later dissolved.

Steve did various jobs throughout his life such as hauling mail for the USPS, driving school bus for Glenwood City, and more in the early years. This was followed by time working for The Town of Glenwood, hauling gas for Erickson Oil & working for the St Croix County Highway Department for many years in various roles & specifically Paving Foreman, the one he was most proud of and spoke about often. After a brief time moving from operating heavy equipment to selling it with his "gift of gab" for Airing Equipment, he also drove truck for Trac Trucking and Hammond Cold Storage and later became a dispatcher once his over the road driving days were behind him. After retiring he found joy in helping his nephews tend to the fields down in the Westby area & also was a beekeeper and made beehive boxes to sell to local beekeepers. Most recently in Steves last few years, he pursued a lifelong dream when he purchased a mini donut trailer and started up his own small business "Steve's Mini Donuts". Sadly, due to health reasons, that dream only lasted a short handful of months before he had to turn it over to his kids to fulfill his event commitments. He truely was a man that was rarely afraid to try a new adventure or hobby and encouraged his kids and extended family to live life the same way. His motto was "just try it - you can always go back to what you know if it doesn't work out".

Most everyone who knew Steve would agree he was a master storyteller & enjoyed being around people. He could turn a ten-minute story into an hour-long narrative. Whenever he would say, "That reminds me of a time...", it meant he was about to recount a memory and you better grab a cup of coffee and sit back and enjoy the stories which usually were filled with many laughs along the way. When riding with Steve in any vehicle, there was a pretty good chance he would point out a road he had helped pave somewhere in the county or plowed snow on for hours on end during his career at the highway department.

Each year Steve looked forward to the family tradition he and Jean created of taking the 3 kids to the MN State Fair which included a stay in St Paul for the weekend and a trip to Mickeys Diner on the way to the fair. While at the fair all day, while others were off searching for corndogs, he could usually be found wandering Machinery Hill with Ryan & Scott. And, of course, no trip was complete without bringing home his annual wooden yardstick & ending the day in the coliseum watching the horses. He also had many dad/daughter adventures with Maria in her adult years to the MN Twins games at Target Field every year for his birthday, the Transiberian Orchestra Christmas Concert, a one time date to the For King & Country Concert just a few years ago where he finally saw their rendition of "Little Drummer Boy" live after watching it on repeat on his big tv for months and their special trip in Colorado traveling around in his truck visiting as many beautiful places as you could see in a four day adventure.

Steve also cherished the memories made while deer hunting at the Rice Beds outside of Turtle Lake. It is fair to say that for him, it was never just about getting a deer. It was about being together, sharing a meal, enjoying a favorite beverage, and, naturally, telling stories. In much the same way, he enjoyed time spent at the family cabin on Lake Magnor. Though he was not a big fan of boat rides, he was always happy to fish off the dock. His most memorable catch came from Glen Hills where landed a huge rainbow trout.

Steve was a very proud dad and grandpa. He really enjoyed being together with his 3 kids & 8 grandkids and sitting back watching them in the room brought him all the joy one could want to feel fulfilled in life. He showed his love for his family through actions and showing up to be present for everything he possibly could all while being very encouraging and making sure his kids and grandkids didnt let "outside noise" distract them from going after what they wanted in life. In the end as his time was getting shorter and he did a lot of reflection back on his life, his tender soft heart really was prominent and he was more verbally expressive of how he truly felt about everyone around him, specifically his family.

At the end of the day Steve was a very simple man who didnt require much to be happy and content. He loved to cook himself a nice meal at home, watching Big Bang Theory or That 70s show on repeat, at times would put on a Vikings or Packers game & was nearly flawless predicting the Superbowl score every year, or would find an old war/history type documentary to watch & would finish the day with the evening Kare 11 news at 10pm. You could also often find him just sitting in his recliner taking a good long nap or reading a book usually on a topic or person related to history in some way. His simple gentle demeanor was very visible in his last few days when his final requests for some favorite foods in the hospital were a Culvers Cheeseburger, a Large Unsweetened Iced Tea with extra ice from McDonalds & a butterscotch Dilly Bar from Dairy Queen. He captured the heart of many sweet & amazing nurses at Mayo in Menomonie, specifically Megan who was his favorite, & in her words said "it was a true honor to take care of such a brave sweet man in his final days." Many other nurses expressed the same sentiment in their own way. He genuinely appreciated every ounce of care anyone offered in his final weeks & at his bedside the last few days as he was going through so much.

Steve hopes to be remembered for raising three great kids, living a really good fulfilled life of his own & always trying his best by doing the right thing.

Steve is survived by his children, Ryan, Scott (Lindsey Tudahl), and Maria Luepke; grandchildren, Noir, Dominick, Atticus, Zelie, Orrin, Noah, Ellie, and Kaydence; his mother, Geraldine Luepke; siblings, Sue (Alan) Berg and Jim (Lori) Luepke; aunts Gladys Heiss, Faye Luepke, Gert Luepke, Allie Luepke, Ethel Prange, Vonnie Voeltz & Uncle Floyd Voeltz; former spouse, Jean Rose who he remained closely connected to; and many cousins.

He was preceded in death by his father Clarence; brothers, Richard "Rick" and Donald "Don"; his grandparents and many aunts & uncles from the Luepke & Voeltz families.

A Celebration of Life for Steve Luepke will be held Thursday, June 18, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. in the Barn Room at The Phoenix in Baldwin. Private burial for immediate and extended family will be held at 4pm that same day at the Glenwood City Cemetery and will include full military honors. Memorials are preferred to the family. Funeral and cremation services have been entrusted to O'Connell Family Funeral Home of Baldwin.