Sheila M. (Rafferty) Koepp

Sheila Koepp, 78, passed away after an extended illness on August 11, 2024, with her loving husband, Dennis Koepp, at her side. 

Born on November 4, 1945, in Stillwater, Minnesota, Sheila was the sixth of seven children of John Rafferty and Margaret A. (McIntyre) Rafferty. A lifelong Catholic, she attended grade school at St. Peter’s in North St. Paul, and in 1963 she was in the second graduating class of Archbishop Murray Memorial High School in East St. Paul. Then she worked for Northwestern Bell for several years and later trained as a beautician. 

After being set up on a fateful blind date by mutual friends, Sheila married Denny Koepp on April 24, 1970. They spent their 54 years of marriage in Duluth, where she was a member of St. Raphael’s Catholic Church. She and Denny founded and ran Denny’s Drilling, Inc., with Sheila taking charge of scheduling, accounting, and whatever else needed organizing. They drilled wells locally and regionally, and the work also took them to the Middle East and elsewhere. After retirement in 2015, they enjoyed spending winters in Florida. 

Sheila had a quick Irish smile and was always ready for a good chat. She particularly enjoyed opportunities to babysit her nieces and nephews. Throughout her arduous fight with scleroderma and dementia, she never lost her love for family and that warm, twinkling smile. 

During her illness, she and Denny were grateful for a decade of compassionate care from Dr. Elizabeth Liljeblad and expert palliative care from Franciscan Health Center. Special thanks to her sister Kate Osterbauer and friends Chad Nelson and Caitlin Nelson for their help through this journey. 

Sheila was preceded in death by her parents, John and Margaret Rafferty; in-laws Erhardt and Lydia (Leppke) Koepp; sisters Ann Allen and Helen La Favor; brother-in-law Virgil Koepp; nephew Tim Koepp; and great-nephew Calvin Wartnick. 

She is survived by her devoted husband, Dennis Koepp; her sister Kate (Lee) Osterbauer; brothers Ron (Edna) Rafferty, John (Lois) Rafferty, James (Lynn) Rafferty; brother-in-law Arlen (Julie) Koepp; many nieces and nephews. Sheila also leaves behind many she counted as close friends: Chad Nelson and family, Danny Wipfler and family, the family of the late Jim Weckwerth, Rob Gales and family, and Dave Gales and family. 

Visitation will be held on Thursday August 15, 2024, from 10AM until the 11AM Funeral Service in St. Raphael’s Catholic Church. 5779 Seville Road, Hermantown, MN 55811. The burial will be in Calvary Cemetery. Arrangements by Dougherty Funeral Home. 600 E. 2nd St. Duluth, MN 55805.