Harold W. Keplinger

May 12, 1924 - September 12, 2010

Harold W Keplinger was born on May 12, 1924 at home in Jasonville Indiana to Myrtle Edith Barth Keplinger and John F. Keplinger. He was the third of four children, Juanita, Johnny, Harold and Danny. He attended Jasonville Grade School for the first five years of his schooling. He then moved to Bloomfield Indiana and attended Camp Ground School where he would build the fire and do janitorial work to help pay his tuition. He attended Bloomfield High School for three years and then Indiana Academy boarding school his Senior year. He worked in the dairy and on the farm to pay his tuition. Harold served in the 76th General Hospital unit WWII from 1942 to 1945 (30 months) as a medic and his occupation was a Truck Driver Lt 345. He was an ambulance driver carrying the wounded out of harms way. I remember the story of when his unit heard a buzbomb coming right toward their tent. Usually this type of bomb goes until it runs out of fuel and then drops and whatever is under it is blown up. He said the guys in the tent heard it coming for them and all of a sudden it reignited and went away from their tent before dropping. He said from that time on he knew that God was watching out for him and that where ever God wanted him to go he was willing to do so. He was in the Battle of the Bulge. Also the invasion of Normandy Beach – during the night they unloaded a huge carrier of soldiers toward the beach. He says they would have to drive in “black out” meaning no headlights – one time the vehicle in front of him and behind him were hit by mortar. Jeff remembers that he would trade his army issued cigarettes for Hershey’s chocolate. He served in England, France, Belgium, and Germany. The battles he served in were Northern France, Ardennes, Rhineland Campaigns. His highest rank while serving in the military was T5. He received EAME Theater Ribbon w/3 bronze stars, Good conduct medal and a Victory Medal World War II. He met Nina Maxine Neidigh in his teenage years at Bloomfield SDA Church. He went home one day after church and told his mother “That’s my wife.” After WWII was over they planned to be married. On March 10, 1946 at 2:00pm in the Keplinger home they were married by Pastor W. L. Latham starting their life long journey of 62 years of marriage. Their first home was a barn converted into a little white house. Then for three months they lived in a tent and later moved into the boy’s dorm while Harold started college at Southern Missionary in Chattanooga Tn. Then moving up in the world, their next home was a grey military trailer. Their first daughter, Linda Kaye, was born when they lived in this trailer. Harold was called to teach Industrial Arts at Madison Tennessee where they lived 10 years. Two more children, Stephen Wayne and Sheila Jean were added to the family in Madison. Their callings would take them to Massachusetts, Texas, Arkansas and finally back to Texas to be closer to Sheila. Linda married James Connors and lives in New Hampshire. Linda is a bookkeeper and enjoys gardening, cooking, sewing/quilting, entertaining family and friends, travel or and relaxing with a good book. Jim is a CFO and enjoys golf, hockey, snow skiing, watching sports on TV along with spending time with family and friends. She has two children – Jeffrey Louis and Christine Louise. Jeff is very artistic and enjoys building train sets and various types of models. Christine is married to Steve Summers and they are parents of one of Harold’s sets of twin great grandchildren, Abrielle and Tobias James, who are almost a year old. Both of Linda’s children live close by in New Hampshire. Stephen married Cheryl Smith and lives in Kentucky. He is the manager of a truss company there. He is actively involved with the local church camp meetings and retreats running the sound system. He enjoys photography and does it professionally on the side. His wife, Cheryl, is an RN working in labor and delivery. They have the only grandson to carry on the Keplinger name. Klifton Jon lives in Indiana and followed in his father’s footsteps in the truss business. Along with his wife, Rebecca, “Becky” they are the proud parents of four of Harold’s great grand children. Ethan and Abigail “Abbie” were the first great grandchildren for Harold and Maxine. They loved to watch all the video tapes of the twins over and over again until they had each one memorized. A little while later Nathaniel was born and this last year James joined the Keplinger family. Sheila is married to Billy Gilmore and lives in Texas. She is working for Texas Health Network in Euless as a receptionist for a physician office. Billy is self employed with landscape maintenance. Amy Michelle Gilmore Nims was the first granddaughter of Harold. She is a critical care RN and works at Memorial Hospital in South Bend, Indiana. She is married to Randy Nims who is a rehabilitation specialist in the mental health field with teenagers. They are parents to Meagan, who is two, and the most recent great grandson, Braedon, born a week ago on Sept. 9, 2010. Allen Scott Gilmore or “Scott” followed in his grandfathers footsteps and has received certificates in automotive and welding. He currently works for FedEx. Harold received his Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Arts on June 4, 1950. He earned his Masters Degree at Georgia Peabody College on August 12, 1957. His first call to teaching was at Madison Academy in Tennessee where he taught industrial arts and served as principal for one year. He then taught in public school at Goodlettsville Tennessee prior to being called to Pioneer Valley Academy in Massachusetts. In 1968 he was called to teach at Southwestern Union College in Keene Texas and was there till 1978. He built two homes for the family in Keene. He was teaching construction and needed projects for the students to work on so he used his own home as a part of the projects. Then they moved to Ozark Adventist Academy in Gentry, Arkansas where he taught until he was 78 years old. He also built two beautiful homes for him and Maxine while living there. After retiring from teaching industrial arts he continued to teach drivers education and worked for the school doing maintenance and errands. Harold was preceded in death by his wife of 62 years, Nina Maxine Neidigh Keplinger. His parents, John and Myrtle Keplinger. His siblings, Juanita Schmid, Johnny and Danny Keplinger. He is survived by his three children, Linda Kaye Keplinger Connors, Stephen Wayne Keplinger and Sheila Jean Keplinger Gilmore. Five grandchildren: Jeffrey Louis Connors, Amy Michelle Gilmore Nims, Allen Scott Gilmore, Christine Louise Connors Summers and Klifton Jon Keplinger. Eight great grandchildren: Ethan and Abigail Keplinger, Nathaniel Keplinger, Meagan Nims, Abrielle and Tobias James Summers, James Keplinger and Braedon Nims. Donations in Harold's memory can be made to: Southwestern Adventist University https://www.swau.edu/advancement OR Ozark Academy https://www.ozarkacademy.org/give.php or Madison Academy https://www.macademy.org/ or Pioneer Valley Academy http://www.pvaalumni.org/index.htm