Karolyn L. Duponcheel, 86

On December 22, 1944, Karolyn Louise Lynch was b orn i n C allaway, a s t he f irst-born c hild of Doris Shields and Lawerence Lynch, who at the time was fighting in the Battle of the Bulge with General Patton’s Third Army Corps. Living in the town of Arnold, at the age of seven, Karolyn went to live with her Grandmother, Alvina Shields, who ran the Kitchen at the Arnold Sale Barn, while her three sisters, Kitty, Kathy, and Linda, remained with her parents. Karolyn would aid h er G randma e ach d ay w ith t he production of pies and cookies, and perform many other duties related to running the kitchen. During the following years, Alvina taught her the v alue o f h ard w ork, d oing a j ob r ight, t reating o thers l ike y ou would want to be treated, as well as, honesty, integrity, and other aspects of character that she exhibited throughout her life. Having been t aught b y h er Aunt Lois t o r ead a t t he a ge of t wo a nd a h alf, Karolyn spent much of her spare time reading and was known by the librarian a t t he A rnold Public L ibrary a s h aving r ead v irtually e very book in the library. During these formative years, Karolyn became passionate about caring for others and for her community. Soon after graduating from Arnold High School, she became the youngest President of the National Young Republicans Organization. This organization brought her to Washington D.C., where she recalled fondly the time that she met President Nixon. Literally bumping into the p resident a s s he t urned around t o h ead o ut t he d oor a s t he president was coming in. Startled, the president stated, “Well, hello young lady”.

Karolyn earned her Masters Degree from Kearney State, where she met her future husband, Richard Duponcheel. They were married three days after their graduation and departed for the island of Guam only two days later, where they would start their careers as educators. Karolyn absolutely loved the island of Guam, where she spent the next 23 years serving the residents of Guam as a teacher and principal of George W ashington H igh S chool a nd Simon S anchez H igh S chool where she was able to touch the lives of thousands of children. She was u niversally l oved f or h er w ork ethic, p rofessionalism, p assion, empathy, kindness, and skills as a moderator. She volunteered for many o f t he m ost challenging e xtra-curricular a ctivities, s uch a s, managing the educational process for the school, advising school and student clubs/classes, and organizing class trips to countries like Japan, with 300 students in tow. Her incredible intellect allowed her to run a school w ith 2,000+ students, raise a f amily, a nd c ontinue w ith her e ducation, e arning a D octorate i n E ducational Law f rom t he University of Oregon, where her professor noted that she was the only student he had ever know who had written her entire thesis by hand, with no corrections. Her degree helped to make her a power-house in the Guam Department of Education system where she ran some of the largest schools on the island, positively influencing the lives of so many, and ultimately earning the coveted Governor’s Lifetime Achievement Award. She was even asked by the Governor to lead the Guam Department of Education but declined the offer as she did not want to give up her close personal contact with students, staff, and faculty at the schools. Karolyn often recalled that her years on Guam were some of the best times of her life, having made life-long relationships, thoroughly enjoying the people, her work, the island itself, and the many cultures that one could experience while living there. During her time on Guam, Karolyn gave birth to her two sons, Lawerence and Daniel, raising them with the same love, compassion, and influence of character that her Grandmother had taught her. After retiring from GovGuam, Karolyn and family moved to Oregon for a s hort b it, b ut d ecided t o m ove b ack t o A rnold, t o b e c loser to her mom and the rest of her family. She soon took on the job of principal of A insworth H igh S chool, w here s he c ontinued t o m ake m any life-long friendships and make a difference in people’s lives for another six years, earning a second retirement from the Nebraska Department of Education. Karolyn really was a lifetime achiever, not only in the world of education, but as a by-product of her personal passions, such as her life-long work in support of the American Legion, Genealogical/Historical societies, the Arnold Alumni Association, the American Red Cross and many other entities who were making a difference in the world. Left t o c herish h er m emory a re h er s ister Kitty ( Bill) V ogel; step-brothers Duane (Carolyn) Bowers, Glen (Kathy) Bowers, and Gary (Linda) Bowers; her sons Lawerence (Carrie) and Daniel Duponcheel; granddaughters Dolores and Danielle Duponcheel; and many other extended family and friends. Memorial donations are suggested to the Arnold Historical Museum, the American Legion Post 130, the Arnold Alumni Association, the Arnold C ommunity f oundation, o r t o t he family f or a n o rganization they will select. Condolences may be shared at Box 4, Arnold, NE 69120. Carpenter Memorial Chapel of North Platte is in Charge of arrangements.