Abraham C. "Abe" Ropp

Abraham C. "Abe" Ropp, 87 years old, passed away at 9:33 a.m. on Monday, March 16, 2026 at the Community Hospital of Bremen. Abe was born on April 29, 1938 in Kalona, Iowa to the late Chrissie and Lydia (Yoder) Ropp. He enjoyed growing up with his siblings, Wilma, Viola, Ella, Toby, and Henry. Abe has lived in South Bend since 1957. On June 16, 1984 in South Bend, Abraham and Marilyn (Harrington) Knight were united in marriage.

Along with Marilyn, his loving wife of 41 years, Abe is survived by their children, Melissa (Greg) Rough of Niles, MI, Erin Knight of Portland, OR, Michelle (Dane Ott) Chris of Elkhart, Michael (Linda) Ropp of South Padre Island, TX, and Michael (Jessica) Knight of North Bend, OH; and eight grandchildren, Austin (Rennaye) Cooper, Courtney (Justin) Rough, Haley Rough, Madisyn Rough, Eric Ropp, Steven Knight, Bryce Knight, and Mandy (Dale) Harris. Abe is also survived by his eight great grandchildren, Kyle, Karter, Liam, Marleigh, Alexander, Jameson, Alexys, and Keely. He was preceded in death by his granddaughter, Jill Cochran.

Abe grew up in the Amish Community in both Iowa and Missouri. He left the community when he was 19 and moved to Indiana in 1957. Abe became a carpenter and was a member of Carpenter's Union #413. Abe was known for his craftsmanship. He retired in 2000 after 31 years of carpentry employment from his dream job at the University of Notre Dame.

Abe took on being a single father in a time when it was not the norm. He put his all into raising his children. He found the love of his life, Marilyn, in 1983. Together they combined their two families and made one.

In 1995 Abe joined the Grace United Methodist Church where he found lifelong friends and family. He was very dedicated to Grace in both service and heart. Abe never new a stranger. He was known for his quick wit and big heart. It never amazed his family the amount of people he knew.

If you knew Abe, you knew the story about his prosthetic leg. He shared his journey of losing his leg at 18 months to those that he met. Losing his leg was something that never slowed him down. Abe was known for his love of Notre Dame, NASCAR and construction.

The family would like to acknowledge the staff at Community Hospital of Bremen. The warmth and love they showed him during the nine days he was there, meant the world to him and his family.

Funeral services will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, March 20, 2026 at the Grace United Methodist Church, 3012 S. Twyckenham Drive, South Bend. Pastor James Clark will officiate. A private burial will be held at Southlawn Cemetery, South Bend. Friends may visit with the family beginning at 12:00 noon on Friday at the church. Palmer Funeral Home-Guisinger Chapel, South Bend is assisting the family.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in memory of Abraham C. "Abe" Ropp may be donated to Grace United Methodist Church, 3012 S. Twyckenham Drive, South Bend, IN 46614. Online condolences may be offered to Abe's family at www.palmerfuneralhomes.com.