Phillip "Bones" Daniel Cepuran

Phillip Daniel Cepuran, known to many as “Bones,” passed away on Monday, December 23, 2024, at the Life Care Center of Seneca in Seneca, Kansas.

Bones was born on November 8, 1945, in Omaha, Nebraska, to Joseph John and Esther Mae (Rother) Cepuran. The family moved to Fremont, Nebraska, where Phillip attended school. He graduated from Fremont High School with the class of 1966.

While in high school, Bones worked for Walter Deere, and for Richie Dairy where he made ice cream and cottage cheese. From 1966 to 1972, he worked for the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad. Bones was also a skilled welder, and he put his welding skills to good use at several businesses, including a mobile home factory, Farm Master, Shenandoah Gate Company, and RG Applegate Steel Company. 

Bones worked for 13 years as a warehouse manager and lab technician for Lortscher Agri Service in Bern. DeBruce Grain and Koch & Company were the last two companies Bones worked for before entering retirement. During his retirement, he mowed the Bern Cemetery for several years. 

Bones loved to bake, and he was also a muzzle-loading enthusiast. He spent many weekends at Indian Cave State Park in Shubert, Nebraska, with others who shared his passion for the sport of muzzle-loading.

Bones was preceded in death by his parents; his brother, Joseph A. Cepuran; his sister, Rita Mae Jones; and his son, Tony Alan Lynn Cepuran.

Phillip is survived by his daughter, Tina Marie (Cepuran) Adams; his stepson, Thomas Lynn Gerdes; his sister, Kathleen Rose Cepuran; his sister-in-law, Patricia Cepuran; his goddaughter, Melissa Curtis; and several nieces and nephews.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Monday, December 30, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Sabetha, Kansas. Before the Mass, a visitation will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at the church. The interment will be made in the Bern Cemetery in Bern, Kansas. Memorial contributions are suggested to the Bern Fire Department or the Bern Cemetery, sent in care of Popkess Mortuary, 823 Virginia Street, Sabetha, Kansas 66534.