Obituary of John Yerxa Loper

Loper, John Yerxa February 8, 1917 - February 13, 2015 John died peacefully, in the presence of his family, at Friendship Village of Bloomington where he lived for 11 1/2 years. He was preceded in death by his father & mother Donald Rust Loper and Agnes Yerxa Loper and brother Dwight Roger Loper. He is survived by his wife of 69 years, Marjorie Collins Loper; son, Stewart Loper (Nancy); daughter Barbara Loper Seaberg (John); 3 grandchildren, Jessica Seaberg Seidlitz (Mike), Marc Seaberg (Meredith), Thomas Loper; 5 great-grandchildren; sister, Jean Loper Mitchell; 5 nieces and 4 nephews. John was a long-time resident of the Minneapolis area. He attended West High School and the University of Minnesota. He was an Eagle Scout and a member of Alpha Delta Phi Fraternity. John joined the Minnesota National Guard in 1940. When the Guard was federalized in 1941, his unit joined the 34th (Red Bull) Division. In January 1942. He was in the first contingent of US troops sent overseas, landing in Belfast, Ireland. From there he was assigned to the American Embassy in London and was one of the first 16 Americans in uniform to begin service there. He was assigned to prepare facilities for the Headquarters Command, European Theatre of Operations United States Army (ETOUSA) and later joined Headquarters Command, Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF). He served in London and Paris, establishing and running commiss-aries for the American officers and enlisted personnel until the end of the war. He was awarded the Bronze Star and the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for his service, returning from the war with the rank of Captain. John married Marjorie Collins in December of 1945. He worked for Red Owl Stores in Minneapolis, eventually becoming Vice-President of Store Design and Construction. He went on to work in similar capacities for Gamble-Skogmo and National Tea Company. He retired in 1982. John served 8 years on the Edina-Morningside School Board. He was a long-time member of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Edina. John was an avid outdoorsman and loved to ski, fish, swim, golf, play tennis and vacation in Canada with friends and family. He was devoted to his family and loved his country. His good humor, cheerful demeanor and desire to help others will be greatly missed by many, especially his family. He was a true gentleman. The family is deeply grateful to the staff of Friendship Village for their compassionate, loving care over the last 24 months. A memorial service will be held at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 17th at Friendship Village, reception to follow. In lieu of flowers memorials are preferred to the Friendship Village Employees Appreciation Fund, 8100 Highwood Drive, Bloomington MN 55438. Arrangements by Cremation Society of Minnesota, Edina Chapel.