Ruediger "Rudy" Kappe

On Sunday, March 3rd, 2024, Ruediger (Rudy) Kappe, loving husband and father of two children, passed away at the age of 84. Born on June 27th, 1939 in Stuttgart, Germany to Walter and Hilda (Kauffmann) Kappe, Rudy immigrated to the United States at age 18 in 1957. He later returned to Germany from 1960-1962, serving in the US Army. On August 31st, 1963, he married Karin Nass. They raised two sons, Mark and Rolf. Mark blessed them with two grandsons (Jesse and Michael).
Rudy became a leader in his community of Buchanan, Michigan. He served with the Niles-Buchanan Optimist Club, the Buchanan-Galien Lions Club, and the Friends of the St. Joe River. He was among the founders of the Optimist Soccer League and spent many years administering the program, as well as coaching his sons. Rudy was instrumental in bringing soccer to Buchanan High School as a varsity sport and was the head coach for the first two years of the program. Rudy was also an officer in the Buchanan-Galien Lions Club, with whom he had the honor of being named a Melvin Jones Fellow.
Rudy started his career in Information Technology (IT) in the 1960s and worked at several companies in Chicago, IL before moving to Buchanan in 1978 to work for Clark Equipment Company. Rudy later became a partner in the Intracomp Group in South Bend, IN from which he retired in 2004. Rudy and Karin enjoyed their retirement, travelling the world, and then began snow birding to Surprise, AZ in 2009. They moved full time to Arizona in 2021. He enjoyed his family, kayaking and boating on the St. Joe River, and watching his favorite Michigan Wolverines in football and hockey.
Rudy was preceded in death by his father Walter, his mother Hilda, his brother Gerhard, and his daughter-in-law Jeanette (Zelazny). He is survived by Karin Kappe, his wife of 60+ years; sons Mark and Rolf (and wife Barbara); grandsons Jesse and Michael; great grandson Gionni; and sisters Christel Draeger and Heike Pfeiffer, as well as a multitude of friends and relatives.
Donations may be made in Rudy's memory to the Buchanan-Galien Lions Club, PO Box 443, Buchanan, MI 49107.