Born: June 13, 1927 - Deceased: 20201222
Thomas W. Kroupa, 93, of Belleville, IL, born Monday, June 13, 1927 in East St. Louis, IL, passed away Tuesday, December 22, 2020 at Freeburg Care Center in Freeburg, IL.
Tom worked as an assembly line employee and supervisor for Turner Electric for 30 years prior to retiring. Before that he was a milk truck driver at Sealtest Dairy for 13 years. He was a member of Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Belleville IL, a founder and former chief of the Villa Hills Fire Dept., a member of the International & Southern Illinois Arson Investigators Assn., and a co-founder of the Fire Training Academy at Belleville Area Technical College, now South Western Illinois College. He served as a member of the Stookey Township board of trustees for many years up to his passing. Honesty and integrity in public service were very important to him.
He was preceded in death by his:
- Parents: Thomas W. and Mamie (nee Cermak) Kroupa, Sr.
- Brother: Charles “Bernie” Kroupa.
Surviving are his:
- Wife of 72 years: Elizabeth “Almeda” (nee Doty) Kroupa of Belleville, IL
- Children
- Thomas H. (Kim) Kroupa of Arlington Heights, IL
- Lou Ann Shea of Merrimack, NH
- Jacquelyn C. Kish of Saint Louis, MO
- Brother: Gene (Ellyn) Kroupa of Madison, WI
- Grandchildren
- Alex Kish
- Stephen Shea
- Christopher (Melinda) Shea
- John (Donna) Kroupa
- Rebecca Kroupa
- Meredith Bollenbaugh (Charles
- Eight great grandchildren
Special Thanks: The family thanks the staff at the Freeburg Care Center for their care. In addition a special thanks goes to Charlie Cullen, Jim Sauerwein, Chris Hill, Fern Gwaltney, Diane Rice and Robert Kuehl, plus many others who supported Tom over the years.
Memorials: In lieu of flowers, a donation to the St. Vincent de Paul Blessed Sacrament Conference would be appreciated.
Visitation: Visitation from 9:00 am – 11:00 am, Wednesday, December 30, 2020 at Kurrus Funeral Home in Belleville, IL.
Funeral: Funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m. at Kurrus Funeral Home, with Fr. Matt Elie officiating. Interment will follow at Valhalla Gardens of Memory, Belleville, IL.
Services: Due to Covid, private family services will be conducted. Live streaming can be viewed at time of service at www.facebook.com/KurrusFH on Wednesday, December 30, 2020 at 11:00 am with Rev. Matt Elie officiating.
7 Comments
Almeda, Tom, Lu Ann, Jackie, Gene and Families
Please accept our deepest sympathy for your loss.
Paul and Jeannie Cermak
Almeda & family,
Deepest sympathy on the loss of your husband and father. I knew him from Turner Electric, and he was so very kind to my husband during Willie’s battle with cancer in 1994. He visited him, took him for rides and was even there for him the night before he died, so I will always have a special place in my heart for Tom.
Blessings,
Loretta Schuetzenhofer
Prayers to the family, grew up in the neighborhood with them and used to deliver their newspaper for a while. Remember Tom was active in the local Fire Dept.
Dear Almeda and Family,
Expressing our deepest sympathy with the loss of Tom. He will be missed.
Sincerely,
Jim snd Renea Sauerwein
Almeda and Family, Deepest sympathy for your loss. He will be remembered and missed by many. Chris Hill & Family
Tom was a good man that did a lot for the Villa Hills and Stookey Township areas. He will be sadly missed. Deepest sympathies to the family.
Dear Mrs. Kroupa and Family,
We offer our deepest sympathy on the loss of your husband and father Tom. He was a dear friend of our father, Frank Wojcik, Sr. No doubt, they are already “catching up” now that Tom has arrived in Heaven.
Please know that our thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time.
Father Gene will be saying a Mass in Tom’s memory.
Sincerely,
The Family of Frank Wojcik