Harold Pieper, 88, of Gering, died Monday, Sept 12, 2016 at Regional West Medical Center in Scottsbluff. His Mass of Christian burial service will be held at 10am on Saturday, Sept 17, 2016 at St. Agnes Catholic Church in Scottsbluff with Father Vince Parsons as Celebrant. Interment will follow at Fairview Cemetery in Scottsbluff. Visitation will be from 3pm until 5:30pm on Friday at Jolliffe Funeral Home in Scottsbluff with a Rosary Service following at 7pm at the church. The family respectfully requests that in lieu of flowers, memorials in Harold’s honor be made in care of the Student of the Quarter Scholarship Fund at Mitchell High School or Knights of Columbus Council #2681 in Scottsbluff.

Harold Pieper was born August 4, 1928, on a farm in Sioux County, Nebraska, the second child of Theodore and Rose (Schaefer) Pieper. He started school at East Ward in Scottsbluff. On March 1, 1934, he moved with his family to a farm in the Sunflower area. He graduated as class Valedictorian from Sunflower school. He attended one semester of community college and farmed with his father after high school.

On August 18, 1956, he married Mary Ann Ecks in Wauwautosa, Wisconsin. On March 5, 1957, they moved to a farm in the Dutch Flats area in rural Sioux County, and started to raise a family. They were blessed with eight children. He farmed on site until 1996. He and Mary Ann then resided in Gering and he commuted to work on the farm until he was 85 years of age. He loved breathing in the country air and was never afraid of a hard day's work.

Harold was an advocate for education at every level. He helped all his children to graduate from college and encouraged his grandchildren to do their best in school. He was an elected member of Mitchell Public School Board from 1971-1989, and helped to establish The Mitchell Foundation for Academic Excellence. He was a board member of St. Mary’s Hospital.

Harold was a member of St. Theresa’s Parish in Mitchell from 1957-1996 and recently, a member of St. Agnes Catholic Church in Scottsbluff. He was a life time member of the Knights of Columbus Council 2681. His faith was the foundation and strength of his life. He always started his day with prayer.

Harold is survived by his children Greg (Valerie) Pieper of Arnold, MD, Jim (Mary Kay) Pieper of Casper, WY; Sister Virginia Pieper of Yankton, SD, Pat (Brian) McMahon of Hartford, SD, Cathy (Larry) Ricks of Reynoldsburg, Ohio, Paul (Jane) Pieper of Mitchell, NE, Julie (Phillip) Tsunemori of Eagle River, AK; Teresa (Chet) Motlas of Helena, MT; sisters Margaret Pieper of San Bernardino, CA, Sister Beatrice Pieper of South Bend, IN; brothers Don (LaVonne) Pieper and Ted (Grace) Pieper all of Mitchell, NE; in-laws Dorothy Ecks of Coronado, CA, Ernie and Peg LeDuc of Peoria, AZ, Jane Ecks of Wauwautosa, WI; twenty-one grandchildren, six great-grandchildren, and many children who unofficially adopted him as their grandpa, because he treated them as such.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Mary Ann, and his parents Rose and Theodore Pieper.

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