Robert ROEPKEN

1952 - 2020

ROEPKEN, Robert Steven On Saturday, July 11, 2020, Robert Steven Roepken, passed away at the age of 68, at his home in Wichita, Kansas. Steve was born on June 17, 1952, in Dayton, Ohio, and moved to Wichita in 1972. From childhood Steve loved cars. Growing up, he and his dad worked on the family cars together. Sometimes it seemed they'd pull the engine out of the VW and put it back just for fun. In Wichita he joined the Sports Car Club of America where he rallied and auto crossed a vintage MG, worked on race crews and raced a vintage Pinto he built himself. He was a highly valued tech steward for the BMW club, and he traveled to races around the country in that capacity. When he first moved to Wichita, Steve worked with his father at NCR before moving on to several machine shops, finally landing at Boeing where he worked as a Specialized Machinist for 33 years building special, one-off parts for Boeing military aircraft. Steve was warm, compassionate, generous and very funny. He loved music and played bass and guitar. As a teenager he jammed with his cousins Jim Moore and Rick Shelley who were like brothers to him. In later life, Jim, Rick & Steve enjoyed fishing together in the Ozarks. Steve was a great cook always on the lookout for a tasty new recipe, and happy to share his favorites. Steve was preceded in death by his parents, Frank and Jean Roepken, of Centerville, Ohio. He is survived by his wife, Melinda (Forsee) Roepken; his sister, Sandy (Michael) Bashaw; his niece, Katy Kreitzer and grandnephew, Casten Wanzer; an aunt and many cousins. Steve really knew how to be a good and loyal friend and there are so many who will miss him. There is no service planned. A memorial has been established with the Kansas Humane Society, 3313 N. Hillside, Wichita, KS 67219.