Alvin H. Kaspar passed away May 21, 2023, at age 84 in Lincoln.
He was born in Dorchester on Oct. 8, 1938. His parents were Henry and Marie (Houser) Kaspar, of rural Dorchester. Al went to Pleasant Hill grade school through eighth grade. He graduated from Dorchester High School in 1956. Al was baptized and confirmed at Sheridan Lutheran Church, Lincoln on Dec. 11, 1960. Al worked as a machinist in Lincoln, and was married to Deana “Dee” (Schuerman) Kaspar on Dec. 18, 1960, at Trinity Lutheran Church, DeWitt. Al served in the United States Army from 1961 to 1964. He received his Basic Training at Fort Carson, Colorado, and served two years in Augsburg, Germany, before completing his service at Fort Benning in Georgia with the rank of SP5 (E-5) as a General Supply Specialist.
While in Germany, Al and Dee’s son, Richard A. Kaspar, was born Dec. 19, 1963. Their daughter, Rachelle A. Kaspar, was born Dec. 9, 1966, in Crete. Al worked at Sack Lumber in Dorchester for a short time before beginning his 35-year career at the Vise Grip Factory (Petersen Manufacturing) in DeWitt. After retiring from Petersen Manufacturing, he worked as a part-time maintenance man at Garden Square Assisted Living Facility in Crete for seven and a half years.
Al was a soft spoken man who loved God, his family and his country. He loved to fish, hunt and shoot trap. Gardening was something he really enjoyed after he retired, and could grow beautiful flowers and vegetables although he didn’t eat many of them. Woodworking was his lifelong hobby. He constructed all of the built-in cabinetry in their first home on Valley View Drive. He later specialized in scaled reproduction tractors and birds of all varieties.
Dee and Al enjoyed taking his beautiful pieces to various antique farm implements shows in Nebraska and Iowa. He was an avid reader and knew a lot about a lot of different things. He picked up on computers early on and the internet was his friend. He loved to figure out how things worked and fixed just about everything around the house. Al will be dearly missed as the IT director in his household and on a consultative basis to his family. He would typically have three remote controls and a smart phone in his reach at any given moment. He was a member of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Dorchester American Legion and the Crete VFW.
Al is survived by his wife, Dee, of 62 years; son, Rich of Crete; daughter, Shelly (Dean) Cope, Cambridge; grandchildren, Andrew Kaspar, Lincoln, Seth Cope, Omaha, Elisabeth (Vance) Johnson, Cambridge, and Sarah Cope of Lincoln; sisters-in-law, Loretta (Fred) Frye, Syracuse, and Linda Schuerman, DeWitt; nieces, Becky (Howard) Choi, and Jane Schuerman (Greg Robb); nephew, John Schuerman of Clatonia; great-nieces, Haley, Avery and Ashley Robb, and Greta Choi. He was preceded in death his parents, Henry and Marie; sister, Bernice; in-laws, Carl and Esther Schuerman; brothers-in-law, Marvin Schuerman and Arzie Kelly; and nephew, David Butler.
Visitation will be Wednesday, May 24, from 4 – 7 p.m. and the funeral is Thursday, May 25, at 10:30 a.m. with lunch following the service, both at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Crete. The family requests casual dress. A private burial service will be conducted at a later date. Memorial contributions are suggested to Bethlehem Lutheran Church or the Crete Volunteer Fire Department and others selected by the family. Arrangements by Lincoln Memorial Funeral Home.
