Bradley H. Roepke, 70, of Rockford, Ill.

Bradley H. Roepke, 70, of Rockford, Ill. passed away peacefully Sept. 1 from complications attributed to cancer.
Mr. Roepke was born Oct. 26, 1947, in Biscay to Harold and Thelma Roepke (Hagen). He graduated from Glencoe High School in 1965. In the fall, Mr. Roepke enrolled at Dunwoody Institute in Minneapolis and graduated with an AA degree in drafting. He went on to a very successful career at Sunstrand, a defense contractor, in Rockford, Ill. Mr. Roepke retired as a manufacturing engineer.
Mr. Roepke’s employment at Sunstrand was interrupted by his call to service in the U.S. Army as a combat engineer attaining the rank of specialist E-5. He served two tours of duty in Vietnam and was awarded two Purple Heart medals during his service.
After his discharge in November of 1971, Mr. Roepke returned to Beloit, Wis. where he met his wife, Sue Hessler. They were married July 8, 1972, and enjoyed 46 years of marriage. Mr. Roepke was a member of the American Legion in Rockton, Ill. and an avid trap shooter. He volunteered for many years at the Vets Roll organization, escorting WWII veterans and Rosies (“The Riveter”) and Korean War veterans to Washington, D.C. to visit their respective war memorials.
Mr. Roepke is survived by his wife, Sue (Hessler); sisters, Lorna Kaufmann of Brownton, Maridee (Richard) Sveen of Elgin, Ill.; special friends, Al (Paula) Koch of Tennessee, and Del Halverson of Rice Lake, Wis.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Harold and Thelma Roepke; niece, Susan Kaufmann; nephew, Michael Kaufmann; and great nephew, Matthew Selle.