James R. Krepfle

James R. Krepfle, 50, (Jimmy to his siblings/parents; JR to his friends) of rural Anamosa, died in his home on Sunday, May 1, 2011. A Memorial Service will be held at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, May 10 at Friendship Baptist Church, 700 Boyson Road NE, Cedar Rapids. He will be buried in the Iowa Veterans Cemetery, near Des Moines, Iowa. James is survived by his daughters, Maggie and Sadie; and son, Elijah, all of Marion; stepmother, Sandy Krepfle of Dubuque, Iowa; sisters, Mary Lee Morgan of Overland Park, Kansas, Sandy Bumpus of Dubuque, Pam (Ira James) Waggoner of Silvis, Illinois, and Kathy Schaal of Potosi, Wisconsin; brothers, Jeff Krepfle of Cedar Rapids and Jay Krepfle of Dubuque; and several nieces and nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews. He was preceded in death by his parents. James was born September 25, 1960, in Dubuque, Iowa to Philip and Sylvia (Kittle) Krepfle. In 1977, he joined the Navy and was sent out on the USS Eisenhower. He was honorably discharged as an E4 Radioman First Class (Top Secret clearance) in 1981. He then participated in the Naval Reserves for two years. For many years JR worked as a Quality Control Technician and had recently contracted for a job with Boeing at Rockwell in Cedar Rapids. JR loved listening to music and taught himself to play the guitar, the piano, and the viola. He was a gifted musician and loved to hear his own three children play. JR wrote music to several songs and taught some of them to his children. In recent years he started his own band with a few close friends. JR wrote beautiful poetry with eloquence and charm. He loved to cook and his craftsmanship was enjoyed by many. He loved to make people laugh and he loved to be with his children most all. Like his father, JR enjoyed fishing. He was also a self-taught repairman. JR could quickly diagnose and fix the problem with just about anything from cars and motorcycles to houses and appliances and wasn't afraid to tackle anything new. In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund has been established for his children.