Roger August Pieper

Time. It’s the most valuable treasure we humans have. When given freely, with an open, loving heart it’s worth more than any amount of gold, money or property. Roger August Pieper gave his time, his heart and his love. Roger August Pieper was our father. We loved/love him very much. He passed away Oct. 7, 2020 at the age of 92.

For years he mentored young boys, a sort of big brother. For him it just wasn’t a once-a-month lunch. He took them to movies, dinners, the park. Played catch. He even took them to his lake house in Arkansas for vacations. He also included their families. Perhaps most importantly, he imparted honor and dignity, by example, to those boys. Now grown, Dad is still part of their lives. He gave his time.

After he retired he volunteered at Mercy Hospital in Des Moines for more than 20 years, never missing a shift - except when visiting his family. He volunteered at a women’s shelter, reading to children while their mothers looked for work. He gave his time.

Reading and literacy was very important to him. He read to grade school kids once a week for years at Hillis Elementary School in Des Moines. He gave a sizeable donation to the school for books. But more importantly he gave his time.

Dad had an extraordinary vocabulary and loved to teach us as young children, and throughout our life’s, new words. One he used often to refer to the mysteries of life was, Orphic. He had an insouciant disposition. Like us all he could be lugubrious but mostly being around Dad was a salubrious experience.

Our memories are many, warm and cherished.

He worked many hours but was always approachable. (He was a successful pharmaceutical salesman and was highly venerated in his field.) He was one of the only fathers on our block in Des Moines who played with the neighbor kids. All the boys would come over, line up and Dad would throw a football to each. If you caught seven in a row he would pay a quarter. He always made that last pass difficult to catch. We all loved it. He gave his time.

Our backyard sloped down away from the back of our house. When I was about five he put up a basketball goal and we played many great games together. No concrete pad just undulating grass. So much fun. “If you can play on this,” he would say, “you’ll be better on a real court.” He gave me his time.

One winter when we were young he got the idea to make a small ice rink in the back yard. Hauling bucket after bucket of water from our basement tap, Dad, myself and my sister poured water in a small area Dad had shoveled clear. After most of the day we had a rink, complete with rippling waves due to the slope of the yard. We loved it and so did the neighbor kids. He gave his time.

A special memory for us and his friends were his birthday phone calls. He never missed a birthday. He would say, “Now listen closely, note bene,” (pay close attention) and would sing a full rendition of Happy Birthday. It is a cherished memory!

Dad was an avid tennis player. He played on his college team in the late 40s. Roger and Kevin played many epic matches. They watched every major tennis tournament together for their entire lives, rooting for Stan Smith in the 60s to Roger Federer today. That time together was so meaningful. Now it seems even more precious. He gave his time.

Dad was also an accomplished gardener. He loved flowers and had the most amazing flower beds in his back yard. He would give a tour to any visitor and knew each botanical name.

He gave his time to his country. He served in Korea during the Korean War. I found letters he wrote to his mother, which were very loving, poignant. He was quite a writer with a flair for poetic prose. He loved his mother, Dorothy, very much.

He loved his family.

He would often drive 10 hours, 500 miles from Des Moines to visit family in Arkansas.

In 1973 he purchased a modest home overlooking Norfork Lake in Arkansas. We would vacation there every year. One year we spent a Christmas at the lake and we remember taking a boat ride. He dared Kevin to jump in with a promise of a $20 bill. He did. We all loved it.

He loved Arkansas. He shared that love with us.

During these last few years we were privileged to help take care of Dad. He was diagnosed with dementia a few years ago, but retained his amazing mind. He never lost his tremendous vocabulary. He was still able to access his it until the end. His nursing assistants would often say what an amazing vocabulary he had.

We came to know him on a deep level over the past few years. He was an extremely intelligent man and often would come up with pithy, sometime humorous, aphorisms. I began to write them down. “I’m going to write that down Dad.” “You better,” he would say. We both got great joy from that. Here are a few:

“I, myself, like a newspaper. It brings you closer to the earth.”
“You have a talent and you’re sharing it. That makes it more special.”
“Those who reach, tend to succeed. And I have the billfold to prove it.” (Dad was a fugal man, worked very hard and saved. He was, by the standards of modern society, very successful)
He often joked, which neither my sister nor I liked: “I’m in the death decade, the 90s.” He called the it the “DD.”
“Milk the cow and fill the cup.”
Plump as a pumpkin
“Thank you never goes out of style”.
“I don’t understand it, but I don’t have to.”
“When you fall best to fall in bed.”
“Sweet as a buttercup.”
“The ditch has a lot of beautiful flowers if you look.”
“Sit up straight like you’re proud to be a human.”
“Nice to have someone share your pain.”
“When you bring happiness to someone, you’ve really given them a gift.”
“The sky is beautiful, a real masterpiece. Life without the sky would not be worth living.”
“Why save the cookie for another day, because by that time the mice may have eaten it.”
“The breeze is like a soft cool kiss on a hot summer night.”
“I’m not afraid of death, but I’d rather be alive.” Then he would laugh.
“Enjoy, because it’s later than you think!”

We love you Dad!

Roger was born June 19, 1928, in Waukon, Iowa, the son of Elmer and Dorothy Dravis Pieper. He worked as a Pharmaceutical Salesman. Roger was a U.S. Army veteran of the Korean War. He lived in Mountain Home since moving from Des Moines, Iowa several years ago.

Roger is survived by his son, Kevin Pieper (Amy) of Henderson, AR, daughter, Lisa Pieper of Jackson, MO, mother of his children, Twila Pieper of Gepp, AR, three grandchildren, Terra (Jake) Ippolito of Fayetteville, AR, Joshua (Heather) Campbell, of Jackson, MO, Shawn Campbell, of Jackson, MO and three great-grandchildren, Hannah, Nicholas and Kade.

He was preceded in death by his parents and two brothers, Robert and Richard Pieper.

Services will be private.

Memorials may be made to any local literacy councils.

Arrangements are by Kirby and Family Funeral and Cremation Services - Mountain Home, Arkansas.