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Alois Kopp

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Alois Kopp

Birth	:	3 May 1918
Death	:	25 Jan 2017
Burial	:	Fort Snelling National Cemetery, Minneapolis, Hennepin County, USA
Coordinate	:	44.8645935, -93.2227631
Plot	:	Section 26 site 1800
Description	:	A 98, of Minne-tonka, MN, peacefully left for heaven on January 25, 2017. Born on a farm in Raleigh, ND on May 3, 1918, son of German immigrants, the late Emil and Irene (Miller) Kopp, preceded in rest by his wife of 61 years, Helen Marjorie (Jones) Kopp, 9 brothers and sisters, and many beloved friends and family. From # 48349860 Obituary: Minnetonka veteran used medical skills to save other POWs in World War II Alois "Al" Kopp was a pharmacist's mate on the USS Houston in 1942 when it was torpedoed and sank in the South Pacific. Almost two-thirds of the ship's... Read More	A 98, of Minne-tonka, MN, peacefully left for heaven on January 25, 2017. Born on a farm in Raleigh, ND on May 3, 1918, son of German immigrants, the late Emil and Irene (Miller) Kopp, preceded in rest by his wife of 61 years, Helen Marjorie (Jones) Kopp, 9 brothers and sisters, and many beloved friends and family. From # 48349860 Obituary: Minnetonka veteran used medical skills to save other POWs in World War II Alois "Al" Kopp was a pharmacist's mate on the USS Houston in 1942 when it was torpedoed and sank in the South Pacific. Almost two-thirds of the ship's crew of more than 1,000 perished, but Kopp survived and endured 44 months of misery in Japanese prison camps. "He said, 'Survival is all about how you face each day,' " said Tom Reddy, Kopp's son-in-law. Kopp, a Minnetonka resident, died in late January at age 98. Born on a farm in North Dakota to German immigrant parents, Kopp set out in the 1930s to join the Civilian Conservation Corps, a New Deal jobs program. Kopp spent 14 months in the CCC, traveling around California and other Western states helping to build parks. In 1937, he joined the U.S. Navy on his way to becoming a decorated veteran. Interested in becoming a doctor, Kopp went to the Navy's dental, hospital corps and pharmacology schools. For shipboard duty, he chose the USS Houston, a heavy cruiser and the flagship of the Navy's Asiatic Fleet. On the night of Feb. 28, 1942, the Houston and the Australian cruiser HMAS Perth were sailing through a strait between two Indonesian islands when they encountered a flotilla of Japanese vessels. Under heavy fire, the Perth went down first. Then the order came to abandon the Houston. Kopp jumped into the sea and watched his vessel slip underwater. After clinging to debris for nine hours, and caked in oil from the wreck, Kopp and other survivors were pulled from the water at gunpoint by Japanese troops, according to an interview Kopp did with Thomas Saylor, a history professor at Concordia University in St. Paul and author of a book on American prisoners in World War II. Kopp was shuffled to several prison camps in Japanese-occupied Southeast Asia, all with a common denominator: brutality, hunger, disease and death. With his medical knowledge, he helped keep himself and others alive. Kopp successfully amputated a fellow prisoner's ulcerous toes with a dull blade and regularly used a pair of pliers for makeshift dentistry. He won the nickname "Doc." Kopp was beaten by guards twice, once for not saluting. He was one of thousands of slave laborers forced by the Japanese to build the Burma Railroad, known as the "Death Railway." He hit his low point when he was dumped into a church in Burma to tend to 22 seriously wounded prisoners all of whom died. "I almost talked myself into just quitting," Kopp told Saylor. But he didn't want to give in to the Japanese, didn't want to "give in to adversity." Kopp carried on until he was liberated by U.S. troops from a prison camp in Saigon after the war ended. Luck played a big role in his survival, he told Saylor. So did faith in God. "You just had to believe." Kopp left the Navy in 1947, a year after he got married. He and his wife, Helen, adopted a baby girl in 1958, and after living in North Dakota for awhile, they moved to the Twin Cities. Kopp was a salesman for much of his life, selling agricultural implements and even massage chairs at the State Fair. He worked well into his 70s, and in his later years spoke at area schools about his war experience. Kopp was preceded in death by his wife and nine siblings. He is survived by a daughter, Lisa Kopp, and her husband, Tom Reddy; a sister, Tina Geiss; and four grandchildren.

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is Alois Kopp's memorial?
Alois Kopp's memorial is located at: Fort Snelling National Cemetery, Minneapolis, Hennepin County, USA.
When did Alois Kopp death?
Alois Kopp death on 25 Jan 2017 in
Where are the coordinates of the Alois Kopp's memorial?
Latitude: 44.8645935
Longitude: -93.2227631

Family Members:

Parent

Emil J Kopp

(1892 - 1974)

Irene Mueller Kopp

(1891 - 1960)

Spouse

Siblings

Engelbert Kopp

(1914 - 2012)

Philomena “Phyllis” Kopp Nunes

(1919 - 2009)

Rose Marie Kopp Riehl

(1921 - 2015)

Aquilinus “"Ack"” Kopp

(1927 - 2006)

John Kopp

(1931 - 1989)

Lena Kopp Volk

(1932 - 2016)

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Church of The Assumption Catholic Cemetery
Richfield, Hennepin County, USA
Coordinate: 44.8635406, -93.2725677

2. Fort Snelling Memorial Chapel Cemetery
Fort Snelling, Hennepin County, USA
Coordinate: 44.8920708, -93.1846619

3. Acacia Park Cemetery
Mendota Heights, Dakota County, USA
Coordinate: 44.8788986, -93.1710968

4. Pilot Knob Indian Burial Ground
Mendota Heights, Dakota County, USA
Coordinate: 44.8810790, -93.1672870

5. Church of Saint Peter Historic Cemetery
Mendota, Dakota County, USA
Coordinate: 44.8839417, -93.1671906

6. Resurrection Cemetery
Mendota Heights, Dakota County, USA
Coordinate: 44.8767014, -93.1513977

7. Oak Hill Cemetery
Minneapolis, Hennepin County, USA
Coordinate: 44.8950005, -93.2861023

8. Mayflower United Church of Christ Memorial Garden
Minneapolis, Hennepin County, USA
Coordinate: 44.9038990, -93.2760520

9. B'Nai Emet Cemetery
Richfield, Hennepin County, USA
Coordinate: 44.8740510, -93.3085120

10. Gemelus Chesed Cemetery
Richfield, Hennepin County, USA
Coordinate: 44.8752750, -93.3087220

11. Christ Lutheran Church Cemetery
Eagan, Dakota County, USA
Coordinate: 44.8038712, -93.2025681

12. Saint John's Cemetery
Eagan, Dakota County, USA
Coordinate: 44.8050003, -93.1958008

13. Minneapolis Jewish Cemetery
Richfield, Hennepin County, USA
Coordinate: 44.8753014, -93.3099976

14. Saint Mary's Cemetery
Minneapolis, Hennepin County, USA
Coordinate: 44.9229205, -93.2625275

15. United Hebrew Brotherhood Cemetery
Richfield, Hennepin County, USA
Coordinate: 44.8750000, -93.3131027

16. Saint Joan of Arc Memorial Garden
Minneapolis, Hennepin County, USA
Coordinate: 44.9213700, -93.2719500

17. Bloomington Cemetery
Bloomington, Hennepin County, USA
Coordinate: 44.8153000, -93.2893982

18. Trinity Lone Oak Cemetery
Eagan, Dakota County, USA
Coordinate: 44.8503600, -93.1270750

19. Temple Israel Memorial Park
Minneapolis, Hennepin County, USA
Coordinate: 44.9272003, -93.2711029

20. Saint Lukes Episcopal Church Memorial Garden
Minneapolis, Hennepin County, USA
Coordinate: 44.9198300, -93.2917000

21. Oak Grove Presbyterian Church Columbarium
Bloomington, Hennepin County, USA
Coordinate: 44.8194490, -93.3084200

22. Saint Stephen Lutheran Columbarium
Bloomington, Hennepin County, USA
Coordinate: 44.8509380, -93.3297870

23. Adath Yeshurun Cemetery
Edina, Hennepin County, USA
Coordinate: 44.9015007, -93.3283310

24. Saint Marys Episcopal Church Memorial Garden
Saint Paul, Ramsey County, USA
Coordinate: 44.9451999, -93.1805399