Rudolf "Rudy" Karpstein

At the age of 104, Rudy was the last living sibling of the eleven children born in Hillsboro, Oregon to Alex (Alois) and Antonia Furhmann Karpstein. He joined his family in Scholls where his parents, with the help of all the older kids, ran their rural store and trucking business in what is now the South Store Café. Remarkably, many of the landmarks of his youth are still intact, and in recent years, he enjoyed drives to the area where he would point out the Scholls Grange Hall, Tualatin River swimming hole, Mountainside Cemetery, neighbors’ homes, and many other sites which figured in what he described as his happy childhood. For instance, he saw Mountainside School (2-rooms at the time) as a great institution, not so much for learning, but for fun. The Depression required more sacrifice from all the family but he never griped about this or much of anything. In fact, when asked that required question about the secret of his long life, his motto was “don’t complain”.

Rudy graduated from Beaverton High School in 1939 and enlisted in the Army Air Corps as an aircraft mechanic. His unit ended up in India when WWII broke out. Many decades later, the diary he kept there allowed his family to find out how he, as a 20 or so -year old, handled the hardships of this posting with the 7th Bomb Group. He managed to fit in career advancing work duties, adventure, fun, dating, a severe bout of malaria, and travel to exotic sites on his own. His squadron was put together during training, and many of the friendships lasted a lifetime, nurtured by visits and reunions.

He returned to the U.S. in December 1944 and arranged an assignment close to Salt Lake City where Betty, a girl he met before the war, lived. Their marriage on January 3, 1945 began their 65 years-long life of loving companionship, support, and fun together. Betty died in 2010. Six children survive them – Diana, Arick, Holly, Paula, Judy, and Trudy – and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

On returning to Hillsboro, the couple were able to buy a 5-acre property with a tiny house on the southeast corner of what is now Frances St. and Century Blvd. Rudy was a skilled do-it-yourselfer and quickly made that house livable for his growing family. After he retired, he constructed another house on the property.

In 1949, Rudy returned to active service with the Air Force leading to a distinguished career as an NCO. He and Betty took their growing family to U.S. and international assignments. After deciding he would like to teach, he earned his B.A. at University of Puget Sound. In 1967 he retired from the Air Force and returned to Hillsboro. He began his second career as an industrial arts and automotive mechanics teacher at David Douglas H.S in Portland and then Hillsboro High School and part-time at Portland Community College. He eventually earned an MA from Oregon State University. Rudy retired from this career in 1983.

Rudy was never the kind of person who had time only for his occupation.

In 1957 Rudy, Betty, and the children joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. In the ensuing years, he was active in a variety of church assignments and remained a devoted member.

He loved to travel, buying a trailer for trips all over the United States and Canada. He and Betty went to Germany several times.

One never knew what hobby he would take on – square dancing, honeybee tending, apple cider brewing, fishing and hunting, and hunting and fishing, organ playing lessons, assembling a Bell & Howell color television, bulldozer driving.

Always, he centered his life on family. He planned vacation times around their annual reunions which started in the 1950’s. When Rudy discovered they had a deceased half-brother, Martin Riehle, in Germany, he welcomed Martin’s great granddaughter into the family embrace. One of the biggest gifts he gave the Karpstein family was his publishing Karpy’s Kapers from 1985 to 2005. He was an early user of those new-fangled computers to create this monthly compendium of letters, comments, and stories of the Karpstein clan. Every issue demonstrated the closeness he felt toward his brothers and sisters and their extended families.

Rudy was the last representative of that remarkably good-natured group of sons and daughters, offspring of Alex and Antonia. His sisters were Claire, Elsie, Bertha, Theresa, and Minnie. His brothers were Alex, Ted, Albert, Carl, and Fritz. They will also be honored at the memorial service, Skyline Memorial Gardens and Funeral Home on Thursday, May 21st at 1:00. Further information is on the website.