Regina Elizabeth Kaup passed away on February 25, 2019, at Columbine West Care Facility in Ft. Collins, Colorado. Jean was born in Emmet, Nebraska on January 19, 1929 to Michael and Dolly Mullen who were children of Catholic Irish immigrants. Jean had a sister and two brothers who remember a hard scrabble life during the Great Depression on a farm where they raised cattle, horses, corn and grain. She had fond memories of hot summers shocking wheat with her two brothers John and Jimmy and feeding the seasonal threshing crews with her sister Helen Marie and her mother Dolly. The family was very musical and oldest brother John formed a band and the family played at barn dances in the small towns around northern Nebraska.
Jean was very artistic and at the age of eighteen she worked as a "hand-colorist" tinting photographs for a photography studio in O'Neill, Nebraska.
Jean met Ray Kaup and married in 1950 then had nine children. In 1957, with children in tow, they moved to Weld County, Colorado, where Ray began working for Great Western Sugar. After many years and several moves with Great Western Sugar Ray and Jean settled in Ft. Collins, Colorado, where they retired.
Jean was a devoted follower of the Catholic faith, a loving wife, mother and grandmother. Jean is survived by her nine children; Dan (Lynn) Kaup, Tim (Trudy) Kaup, Bill Kaup, Diane (Keith) Benefiel, Ellen (Scott) Lampe, Janeen (Steve) Jydstrup, Mary (Jeff) Hiatt, Chris (Evan) Hyatt and Steve Kaup. Jean has 21 grand children and 18 great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her sister Helen Marie Dvorak and brother James Mullen. Preceded her in death was her devoted husband Ray Kaup and a brother John Mullen.
Memorial contributions in Memory of Regina may be made to the church of your choice.
