ADDRESSES:
Marlene and Gary Keppen (parents), P.O. Box 216, Klamath Falls, OR, 97601
Dan and  Dena Keppen and family (brother), Family Farm Alliance, PO Box 216, Klamath Falls, OR 97603

Kenneth Hart Keppen, 37, died May 24, 2005 at his student apartment in Ann Arbor Michigan.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, June 11, at 1:00 p.m. at Hope Lutheran Church, 2314 Homedale Road, Klamath Falls. Cremation was handled by Ridge Funeral Home in Trenton, Michigan.

Mr. Keppen was born August 9, 1967 in Rhinelander, Wisconsin to Gary H. and Marlene D. (Petkov) Keppen. He lived in Wisconsin until he was 12 years old, when his family moved to Corvallis, Oregon. He attended high school in Susanville, California, where he graduated from Lassen High School in 1985.

While at Lassen, Mr. Keppen lettered in three sports and was a conference allstar centerfield on the baseball team during his senior year. That same year, his football team won the California North Section Championship, and The Sacramento Bee named him to its All Superior California team at the wide receiver position.

He earned an associates degree in surveying from Oregon Institute of Technology, graduated summa cum laude with bachelor degrees in civil engineering and mathematics from Oregon State University, and received his master’s degree in mathematics from the University of Illinois. He was working on his Ph D in mathematics at the University of Michigan at the time of his death.

He taught high school mathematics in Susanville; Mapleton, Oregon, and Roseburg. He taught mathematics at small colleges in Roseburg and Powell, Wyoming and to large classes at the University of Illinois and the University of Michigan. He received several awards from his students for his practical approach to explaining complicated theories.

He loved his dog and cat and was an avid bicyclist. He and his father often cycled together for hundreds of miles on extended trips through Oregon. He was a natural athlete and also enjoyed reading.

He is survived by his parents, Gary and Marlene Keppen of Klamath Falls; brother and sister-in-law Dan and Dena Keppen of Klamath Falls; and niece and nephew Anna and Jackson Keppen of Klamath Falls.

Contributions in his memory may be made to the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Fund, St. Anthony Hospital, 1601 SE Court Avenue, Pendleton, OR 97801 to further efforts to help people who struggle with bi-polar disorder and the depression that stems from it.