James A. Nepple

1945 - 2025

James A. Nepple

January 5, 1945 - July 25, 2025

Muscatine, Iowa - James A. Nepple, 80, passed away unexpectedly at his home on July 25, 2025.

Funeral Mass will be held at Ss. Mary and Mathias Church on Friday, August 1, at 2 p.m., and burial services will be at St. Joseph Cemetery in Dedham, Iowa, on Saturday, August 2, at 12 p.m.

A vigil service will be held on Thursday, July 31, at 6 p.m., at Ralph J. Wittich-Riley-Freers Funeral Home. Visitation will be held from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., on Friday, August 1, at the funeral home, which will be followed by a recitation of the Rosary. Memorials may be made to MCSA for the Domestic Violence Shelter, Ss. Mary and Mathias Church for youth programs, and Wesley United Methodist Church for Boy Scout Troop 127. Online condolences can be sent to www.wittichfuneralhome.com.

Jim was born on January 5, 1945, in Carroll, Iowa, the son of Herbert and Cecilia (Irlmeier) Nepple. He married Jean (Jennings) Nepple on September 9, 1967, in Dedham, Iowa. In 1972, Jim and Jean moved to Muscatine.

Jim received his undergraduate degree from Creighton University in 1967, his law degree (with distinction) from the University of Iowa in 1970, and his Master of Laws from New York University in 1982. Jim was admitted to practice in Iowa and Illinois, and he was a member of the American, Iowa, Illinois, Rock Island County, Scott County, and Muscatine County Bar Associations. He was an author and frequent speaker on taxation, estate planning, business entities, and retirement plans.

He served in the army on active duty in the early seventies and in the reserves thereafter for many years. For his support of the men and women who serve our nation in the National Guard and Reserve, he was awarded the Seven Seals award.

Jim was an active member in the Ss. Mary and Mathias Parish, where he became a grief counselor after participating in a grief support group after the death of his wife. Among his numerous community activities, he volunteered in scouting for many years, for which he was awarded the Silver Beaver Award by the Boy Scouts of America in 2011. An avid cyclist, he completed Ragbrai twice on a tandem bike with his wife and many more times as a solo rider.

Those left to honor his memory include his children, Jeff Nepple and his wife, Julie of Lakewood, Colorado, Scott Nepple and Patricia of Santiago, Chile, and Andy Nepple and his wife, Lindsey of Conifer, Colorado; seven grandchildren, Josef Strause, Cecilia Nepple, Cristobal Nepple, Cody Nepple, Luke Nepple, Vicente Huerta, and Rosa Nepple; and his brother, Ken and his wife, Lisa of Carroll, Iowa.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife; his daughter, Carrie Strause; and his brother, Gary Nepple.