Neal Arthur Schoepke was born on February 20, 1936, to Otto and Mildred (Ramthun) Schoepke in Knierim, Iowa.  He passed away peacefully on February 23, 2024, at the Westview Care Center in Indianola, Iowa at the age of 88.

Neal was baptized and confirmed at Immanual Lutheran Church in Rockwell City.  He grew up in Knierim and graduated from Somers in 1954.  He served in the U.S. Army from 1959 to 1965 and was a member of the American Legion Post 165 for 32 years.

On December 1, 1957, he married Marlene Bendickson.  They were blessed with twin daughters, Jean and Jan, in 1961.  They lived in Calhoun County and farmed for 35 years.  They then managed the Apple Tree Inn in Indianola from 1989 to 2004.

Neal umpired high school and college softball, baseball, and volleyball for over 25 years.  He was inducted into the Iowa Girls Coaches Association Softball Umpires Hall of Fame in 2000.  He always said he never made a bad call!  He was an avid fan of the Iowa Hawkeyes, New York Yankees, and Kansas City Chiefs.

Neal was preceded in death by his parents and brothers-in-law Ed McNeil, Darwin Sittig, and Gary Bendickson.  He is survived by his wife Marlene of Indianola; sisters, Ramona Sittig of New Hampton and Sharon McNeil of Fort Dodge; daughters, Jean (Carroll) Sliva of Shawnee, KS, and Jan (Rich) Evenson of Indianola.  He has six grandchildren, Jamie (Brian) Appenzeller, Joe Evenson (Karrie Drake), Sarah (Major Hal Rivard) Rivard, Amy (Dion) Hill, Tyler Sliva (Emily Thomas) and Cody (Brooke) Sliva.  He also has six great-grandchildren, Kale, Landry, Emery, Kinsey, Colbie, and Lincoln.

Visitation will be on Friday, March 1st at Overton Funeral Home in Indianola from 4:00 – 7:00 pm.  The funeral will be on Saturday, March 2nd, at Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church in Indianola at 10:30 am.  Burial will take place at a later date at the Iowa Veterans Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Neal's memory to Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church or the American Legion Post #165 of Indianola.

The family would like to thank his caretakers and the staff at the Westview Care Center and Suncrest Hospice for the excellent care he received.