![]() ![]() ![]() Nick and his wife, Katy, raised their five children and lived in the same house in the Quail Creek neighborhood for 30 years together. This was also the same year that the Diocese of Tulsa and Eastern Oklahoma was created out of the combined Diocese of Oklahoma City and Tulsa. “January 1st of ’73, I died and came to heaven: I moved to Tulsa,” Nick jokes about relocating to be a branch manager for Ford Motor Credit. Then, he spent five and half months in reserve, specifically in the military police company division. Bob was my brother.” Their friendship lasted a lifetime, visiting each other, and always making time to play at least one round of golf together, even after Nick moved out of state due to his career with the Ford Motor Credit company.Īfter graduating from Loras College, Nick also served six months active duty at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri in the Iowa National Guard. Nick says, “I never had a brother, I had one sister, but Fr. ![]() They quickly became best friends and later shared an apartment off-campus together. “Serving those was like a three-ring circus because… at certain times in the Novena, we had to turn different lights on,” he says, fanning out his hands to show me how the sanctuary looked lit up.Īfter attending Catholic schools second grade through high school, Nick went to Loras College-a private, then all-male, Catholic university in Dubuque, Iowa. “People from all over Des Moines- was way out on the east side…-but they’d come on the street cars, which came right to the corner. Nick remembers serving at the Sorrowful Mother Novena prayer services every Friday led by Fr. He sang in the choir and was an alter server. Joseph Catholic Church, which was directly across the street from the house he grew up in. Nick, born in 1936, was raised in Des Moines, Iowa. “You go to have fun, no matter where you are and what situation you’re in, you want to have fun,” he believes.Īt the end of his interview with me, Nick sums up his life by saying, “There’s a lot of priests that have affected me.” From all the detailed stories of each and every priest he shared with me, the grace and gift of great priests is truly prevalent. Nick Kerpon, a resident at Montereau since 2016, is known for his wit and good outlook on life. One of these open doors, with a framed certificate and patriotic decorations on the shelf next to it, leads to Nick Kerpon’s apartment. ![]() As I walk down the hallway of Montereau Retirement Center in Tulsa, some of the doors are left open, warmly welcoming guests and neighbors alike to pop in for a visit. ![]()
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