Richard Van Vulpen's Obituary
Richard N. Van Vulpen, 83, passed away Tuesday morning, September 17, 2013. A resident of Walls, MS, he was born on December 31, 1929, in Memphis, TN, to the late Caroline Heubach and Stoffell Cornelus Van Vulpen. He graduated from Whitehaven High School with the class of 1948, a group of friends he held dear throughout his life. He attended Valparaiso University where he was a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity, and Memphis State University, now University of Memphis. Mr. Van Vulpen’s business career was spent in the accounting and management fields. He was accountant-auditor for Murdock Acceptance Corporation and spent many more years with Federal Cotton Compress and Memphis Compress. He later formed and was president of Skylane, Inc., a company that owned and operated Skylane Mobile Home Park as well as rental properties and developmental and farm land. Mr. Van Vulpen was a four-year veteran of the Korean war in the United States Air Force, being stationed in Okinawa and attaining the rank of Staff Sergeant. He was active in his church, being a member of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Whitehaven, then a charter member of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Southaven, where his family membership still belongs. In addition to his parents, Richard is also predeceased by two brothers, Captain John Carl Van Vulpen, World War II casualty, and Albert Gene Van Vulpen; two sisters, Henrietta Lynn and Helen Marie Van Vulpen. Mr. Van Vulpen is survived by his wife of fifty-five years, Bettye Hays Van Vulpen, formerly of Hernando, MS; two sons, Andrew (Leigh and Mark) of Germantown, TN; and Leslie (Lajan, Connor, and Bayli) of Cleveland, MS; two sisters, Charlotte Robertson of Memphis and Cornelia Dickinson of Beaumont, TX; nieces and nephews and their extended families. He will be honored with a pall of the flag of the United States adorning his coffin. He loved his church, his family, and neighbors, and will be forever missed by all those who knew and loved him. His family deeply mourns his passing. Pallbearers will be Thomas Wack, James Lacy, Joel Baker Branson, Jerry Fairbanks, Gerald Faucher and Jim Bodenstab. Visitation will be Friday, September 20, 2013, at Memorial Park Funeral Home, 5668 Poplar Avenue, Memphis, TN 38119 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Funeral service will be at 1 p.m. at Memorial Park with a interment to follow in Memorial Park Cemetery. Any memorials in his memory will be gratefully accepted for the Building Fund of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, 8089 Hwy 51 North, Southaven, MS 38671 or any charity of the donor’s choice.Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Memorial Park Funeral Home and Cemetery, 5668 Poplar Ave. Memphis, TN 38119, (901)767-8930, “Behind the Stone Wall”.Location: Garden of Grace Arrow Color: Red
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