Ropella, Thomas b. 3 Aug 1961 Appleton, Outagamie, Wisconsin, USA d. 27 Apr 2008 Menomonie, Dunn, Wisconsin, USA: 1FAMILYTREE Genealogy

1961 - 2008 (46 years) Has 2 ancestors but no descendants in this family tree.

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Name	Ropella, Thomas
Born	3 Aug 1961	Appleton, Outagamie, Wisconsin, USA
Gender	Male
Died	27 Apr 2008	Menomonie, Dunn, Wisconsin, USA
Obituary	30 Apr 2008
Appleton Post Crescent
Thomas D. "Tom" Ropella, age 46, of Menomonie, died suddenly on Sunday, April 27, 2008, at the Red Cedar Medical Center in Menomonie. Tom was born August 3, 1961, in Appleton, the son of Dennis and Nancy (Prosser) Ropella. Tom grew up in Menasha where he made lifelong friends, racked up massive library fines, and spent idyllic summers playing Little League and Babe Ruth baseball, riding his bike, and swimming and fishing at the family cottage on Sawyer Lake. He graduated from Menasha High School in 1979 and attended the UW Center-Fox Valley for several years before transferring to UW-Stevens Point. At UWSP, Tom forged many lasting friendships, became involved in radio, television and film production and met the love of his life, Carol Diser. He earned his BS in Communications in 1984 and worked for several years operating the community cable access station in Stevens Point. Tom and Carol were married at the Mabel Tainter Memorial Theater on August 9, 1986, and embarked on a grand adventure together, moving to Austin, TX, where they befriended many amazing Texans who loved them despite their strange Yankee ways. Tom attended the University of Texas to pursue a career in Elementary Education and was awarded Student Teacher of the Year by UT. He and Carol both began their teaching careers in Austin; Tom taught at Eanes Elementary in Westlake Hills where he was honored as New Teacher of the Year. Wishing to be nearer to family and old friends, Tom and Carol moved to Menomonie in 1993 where Tom began teaching at Oaklawn Elementary. Tom loved his school, his colleagues and his students; he had many passions, including science, computers, music and children's literature. He was an advisor for the MHS Yearbook for three years, he built sets and designed posters and programs for musicals that Carol directed, and recently served as editor for Oaklawn's yearbook for several years. Tom and Carol's daughter, Rachel, was born in 1998 and quickly became the apple of her daddy's eye. Tom taught Rachel to fish and swim at the cottage and shared his love of music, movies and books with her. He is responsible for Rachel's love of science fiction and fantasy films and books including Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and Star Wars. Tom earned his Master's in Education from The College of Saint Scholastica in 2001 and made a special appearance on Antiques Roadshow in 2004. Tom and Carol were blessed with their son, Henry, through adoption. Tom and Carol celebrated their 20th Wedding Anniversary at the Guatemalan Embassy where Henry's adoption was finalized on August 9, 2006. Although their time together was far too short, Tom shared his love of books, music, the Packers, the Cubs, and the Texas Longhorns with his precious son. Tom was very proud of the boat that he had recently acquired and loved to go fishing with family members and his fishing buddies. For the past two years, Tom has pursued a certificate in Public History through a Learning By Doing Fellowship under the auspices of UW-Eau Claire and CESA 10. He became immersed in Menomonie's rich history and shared this new passion with his students, colleagues, and family. He created a 30 minute documentary on Menomonie native and inventor, Harry Miller, and was in the process of helping his students to create documentaries on Menomonie history as well. His work and the work of his students will be screened for the public at the Mable Tainter Memorial Theater in mid-May. Tom will be remembered for his sense of humor and the love he shared with his family, friends and students. His legacy will live on for many years to come. Tom is survived by his wife, Carol; a daughter, Rachel and a son, Henry both at home; his mother, Nancy Ropella Spindler and her husband Roger Spindler of Neenah; a sister, Ann DeBruin and husband David of Appleton and their children, Sarah Bruin of Burbank, CA; Charles DeBruin of St. Paul, MN; a brother, Mark Ropella of Menasha; father and mother-in-law, Philip and Margaret "Peg" Diser of Menomonie; a brother-in-law, John Diser and wife Tracy of Stevens Point and their children, Justin and Sarah Diser; and other relatives and friends. He is preceded in death by his father, Dennis Ropella. Funeral services will be 10:30 a.m. Thursday, May 1, 2008, at First Congregational Church in Menomonie with Rev. Rob MacDougall officiating. Burial will be at a later date. Friends may call from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Rhiel Funeral Home in Menomonie and one hour prior to services at the church on Thursday. Online condolences may be made at www.rhielfuneralhome.com Rhiel Funeral Home & Cremation Services-Menomonie is serving the family.
Person ID	I205659	1FamilyTree
Last Modified	26 Sep 2016