Brian E. Kuiper

Brian E. Kuiper, 71 years old, of Granville, IA, died Friday, April 1, 2011 at his home in Granville.       Funeral service will be at 10:30 a.m., Monday, April 4, 2011 at St. Joseph Catholic  Church in Granville with Rev. Richard D. Ball officiating.  Burial will be in St. Joseph Cemetery in Granville.   Friends may call anytime after 4 p.m. on Sunday, April 3, 2011.  There will be a parish rosary at 5 p.m. and a vigil prayer service at 7 p.m. at the Church.  Services have been entrusted to Fisch Funeral Home & Monument in Remsen.     Brian was born Dec. 28, 1939 at rural Ashton, IA, the son of Margaret Leone (Conley) and Daniel Kuiper.  He was raised and educated in the Ashton, IA area and graduated from St. Joseph High School in 1958.  After graduating he moved to Idaho and worked as a forest fire fighter.  He later moved back to Iowa and attended Sioux City Barber College.  Upon graduation he worked as a barber for a number of years in Granville & Hospers.       On Sept. 7, 1964 he married Marlene Schuster at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Granville. The couple made their home in Granville.  Brian sold veterinary supplies, and then spent the majority of his career in the agriculture business working most recently worked at the Sheldon Co-Op.     Brian was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church.  He was a former city councilman and was known as the youngest councilman in the state of Iowa, He served as a volunteer fire fighter. He loved hunting, fishing, golfing, the Iowa Hawkeyes and Vikings Football. He also enjoyed traveling to visit his grandkids.  Brian was a social person and made friends where ever he went.     Survivors include his wife, Marlene of Granville; three daughters, Sandra Reding & her husband, Jim of Omaha, NE; Lynne Stallbaumer & her husband, Matt of Linwood, KS; Aimee Messerschmidt & her husband, Jason of Missouri Valley, IA; one son, Jason Kuiper & his wife, Trisha of Omaha, NE; eleven grandchildren: Margaret Leone “Maggie” & Jack Reding, Sydney, Abbey, Haley, Elizabeth “Libby” & Graham Kuiper Stallbaumer, Sophie & Amelia “Millie” Messerschmidt, Charles Joseph “Charlie” & Henry Brian Kuiper; two brothers, Gary Kuiper & his wife, Judy of Mead, WA; Doug Kuiper & his wife, Pat of Alexandria, MN; one sister, Debbie Pippen of Phoenix, AZ; one sister-in-law, JoAnn “Tudy” Plathe & her husband, Mark of Granville and one sister-in-law, Norma Jean Schuster of LeMars, IA.       Preceded in death by: his parents, one brother, Fr. Michael Kuiper and one brother-in-law, Orville Schuster.     Casket Bearers: Randy Plathe & Tim Plathe, Leon Kleinhesselink, Tom Kuiper, Steve Schuster, John Schuver & Ron Budden.     Honorary Bearers will be his grandchildren.     Brian will be greatly missed by his family and friends.