Allen "Rol" Koops

Allen Roland Koops was the second of nine children born to Joe and Jessie Koops on a farm north of Downs on June 2, 1919. Rol shared his home with 3 brothers; Bert, Chuck and John and 4 sisters; Ilene, Carol, Rose and Joyce. Rol graduated from eighth grade from Green Valley School and though he wanted to attend high school the difficulty of the 30's kept Rol from it. Rol was baptized as an infant into the Christian Reform Church, and made his confession of faith as a teenager at the Dispatch Christian Reformed Church. At his death he was a member of New Life Christian Center in Beloit, but often attended the Dispatch church maintaining his connection there.
As a teenager during the depression, Rol, worked for five dollars per week plus room and board on neighboring farms to bring in income for his family. At 17, he worked odd jobs in Colorado and in the fall, picked corn in Kansas besides helping on the home farm.
In 1941 at the age of 21, Rol took advantage of the one-year military training program instituted by FDR and enlisted in the army. His plan was to fulfill his military obligation and be free to help on the farm in the likelihood of his brothers being drafted. Two months before his enlistment was to end, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and all enlistments were frozen. Having already received his basic training he was put in charge of training all the new recruits at the rifle range in Fort Leonard Wood, MO.
With the threat of war looming, Rol decided to sell his coon dog and buy an engagement ring for his sweetheart, Rhoda Van de Reit. Shortly before Rol was to be sent overseas, on July 10, 1944, Rol and Rhoda exchanged vows in a small "war time" wedding . They were just one of a nation of couples that accepted without question the necessity of separation and put their trust in God to bring them back together again.
In 1944 Rol was sent overseas as a Corporal in the Army of Engineers. The Downs news reported, "Those who saw Cpl. Koops carry on his farm work can well understand why he was very efficient in this type of work and why those in charge wanted to keep him there." Another clipping notes: "He was known as a man that gets things done. When we realize how strict Army discipline is, we can appreciate the significance of the fact that he was given a perfect record after three years of service at Fort Leonard Wood." He was reassigned to the 91st Infantry Division deployed in Naples, Italy where he was involved in front line combat in the Apennines north of Pisa and Florence, and later in the Allied push through the Po River Valley, and all the way to the Yugoslav border. He reported that there were only "four or five times" that he feared he would not survive the intense fighting. His military medals include two campaign stars, the combat infantry badge and the bronze star. While abroad, Rol learned some Italian phrases which he enjoyed using and teaching to anyone who knew him. Among his favorites were "paisan" or "brother", "Grazie" or "thank you," and "Parla Inglese" or "do you speak any English?" The war had a deep impact on Rol, and he often told wartime stories to his children and grandchildren, helping them to understand patriotism and sacrifice. For many years after the war, Rol met yearly with a group of buddies from his unit in different locations across the country.
In October of 1945, the Lord returned Rol safely to Rhoda, his family and community. Rol again took up farming and raising livestock first on the Renken farm, then the Wiersma place until finally purchasing a 320-acre farm in Odessa Township in Jewell County in 1954. Rol frequently exchanged work with his neighbors, helping during planting, harvest or working cattle. In the 1950's Rol and Rhoda hung out the shingle, "Koops Kennels" and raised pedigree dogs and cats for sale. Rol insisted he was just the "assistant manager".
Rol and Rhoda had no children of their own, but they fostered and later adopter 2 sets of sisters. In 1957 Carolyn and Peggy came to live with them. Carolyn(13) and Peggy May(11) stayed with Rol and Rhoda until they both married. In 1964 Rol and Rhoda took in two sisters, Cynthia(8) and Carol Blackwood(7). Carol continued to live in their home until her marriage.
In the midst of tragedy and upheaval, Rol and Rhoda provided a loving home for these four girls and enabled them to enjoy a good life. Carol recalls feeling afraid to sleep for the first year of her time with Rol and Rhoda. But Rol patiently slept on the couch near her bedroom for a whole year until she felt safe enough to sleep alone. He told her not to worry "after all, he was in the army." Rol and Rhoda's home was a place of safety and love. They were devoted Christian parents with loving, gentle and kind hearts, always ministering to those in need.
December 26, 1987, great sadness entered the family as Rhoda passed away at the age of sixty-two. She has been deeply missed both by Rol and the girls, and Rol often spoke of her with great affection throughout the rest of his life. After Rhoda's death, Rol continued to be a blessing to his family. He enjoyed 26 years of travelling on summer vacations with his grandchildren and having the grandchildren sleep over at his house whenever they visited on holidays. Rol always made sure to have little cereal boxes and greasy fried eggs ready for them when they woke up in the morning.
When Rol sold his last cow herd he enrolled some of this farmland in wildlife habitat as part of the USDA Conservation Reserve Program. Since boyhood he loved to hunt, fish and trap and kept coon dogs while he was a young man. When he first married Rhoda they had very little money and often hunted game for eating. Rhoda was stuck with fixing "almost anything" he killed for eating. This boyhood passion continued throughout his life. In 1993, the Jewell County Conservation District presented Rol with the Wildlife Habitat Award in recognition of his efforts to improve wildlife habitat.
Rol and Rhoda's daughter Carolyn married Marvin Miller and have three children: Dwayne, Donna and Bruce. Their daughter Peggy married Lawrence Keefer and they had two children: Korena and Chris. Cindy married Douglas Lance, and they have three children: Micaela, Anthony and Joanna. Carol married Stephen Cordel and they have two children: Zachary and Nathaniel. Rol is survived by 15 great-grandchildren and dozens of nieces and nephews.
Rol passed away on the morning of June 17th in the quiet of the Cordel farmhouse. Rol lived 95 good years, and his final moments were peaceful, surrounded by people who loved him. Jesus said that heaven is a home with many rooms. We take comfort in the fact that Rol is now completely at home, reunited with Rhoda, his parents, and all the other saints who have gone before him.
Rol will be deeply missed by his daughters, Cindy Lance and her husband Douglas of Tulsa, OK; Carol Cordel and her husband Stephen, of Cawker City; son-in-law, Marvin Miller, of Cawker City; grandchildren, Duane Miller and wife Kathy, Donna Kennedy and husband Danny, both of Downs; Bruce Miller and wife Lisa of Cawker City; Zachary Cordel and wife Rachel, of Clovis, New Mexico; Nathaniel Cordel and wife, Abigail of Great Bend, KS; Micaela Fenwick and husband, Josh, of St. Louis, MO; Anthony Lance and wife, Joyce, of Hong Kong; and Joanna Brown and husband, Matt of Virginia Beach, VA; 15 great grand-children; 12 great-great grandchildren; brother John Koops and wife Terrell of Downs; sisters, Ileen Tanis and husband, Lawrence, Rose Nyhoff and husband, Merle, and Joyce Koops, all of Downs; and dozens of loved nieces and nephews.
Rol was preceded in death by his wife, Rhoda, parents Joe and Jessie Koops, daughters Carolyn Miller and Peggy Keefer, son-in-law, Lawrence "Butch" Keefer; brothers Chuck and Bert Koops, sister Carol Koops, granddaughters Korena Keefer and Christine Mercer, grandson, Larry Dale Miller, and great-great granddaughter, Shelbie Paige Schreiner.

Funeral services will be at 10 AM Saturday, June 21 at the Dispatch Christian Reformed Church followed by burial in East Dispatch Cemetery. Visitation will be from 7-8:30 PM with family present Friday, June 20. Memorials may be given to Cawker City American Legion Post #379 or Solomon Valley Hospice.