Irl "Pat" Carper

Irl "Pat" Carper, 85, of Sioux City, formerly of Spencer, Iowa, passed away Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2007, at a local hospital.

A private family ceremony was held Jan. 26 at Meyer Brothers Colonial Chapel. He elected to donate his body to the University of South Dakota Medical School for medical education purposes. Memorial services are pending.

Pat was born May 15, 1921, in Syracuse, Neb., the only son of Walter and Ilo Carper. He is a graduate of the University of Nebraska and received a bachelor of science degree in agribusiness. He was a wrestler and football player for the Cornhuskers and was a member of the 1941 Rose Bowl team.

He married Marilyn Louise Holmberg of Nebraska City, Neb., on Feb. 18, 1947. The couple farmed near Whittemore, Iowa, until 1959, when they moved to Spencer, Iowa and raised eight children. He joined Farmer's National Company of Omaha and was based in Spencer to cover a six-county territory in Northwest Iowa. He also worked for Stauffer Chemical Company for several years before establishing his own farm management business. In addition, he and his family farmed and managed their own six farms, located throughout Northwest Iowa. The couple moved to Sioux City in the late 1990s. He most recently resided at Westwood Nursing Home.

During his life, he had many accomplishments. In early adulthood, he was able to express his love for music by playing the violin with the Seattle Symphony and recording several soundtracks including "The Lord's Prayer," as a solo baritone. Despite becoming an amputee in 1949 because of a farm accident, he refused to let his disability slow him down. He rehabilitated himself and participated in fitness and athletics until the last year of his life. One of the things he was most proud of is his involvement with re-educating World War II veterans into the agriculture industry. He also worked with the Easter Seals Society to counsel amputees. With a successful career managing more than 130 farms, he was recently inducted into "Who's Who of America: Agriculture."

He is survived by his wife, Marilyn; their eight children, Cindy Carper of Nashville, Tenn., David Carper of Terre Bonne, Ore., Creighton Carper of Harbor, Ore., Sandra Thorsland of Sioux City, Kelly Carper Polden of Johnson City, Texas, Bobbi Corbin of Gerrardstown, W.Va., Kent Carper of Sioux City and Carol Carper of Los Angeles, Calif.; 15 grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and a sister, LaVonne Bergstrom of Tacoma, Wash.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Alzheimer's Association, www.alz.org, or to the Easter Seals Society, www.easterseals.com, in honor of Irl "Pat" Carper.