Colin “Coke†Lee Kamperman passed away at home on March 14th after a lengthy illness, surrounded by family.
Colin “Coke†Lee Kamperman was born on April 7, 1930, to O. Carl and Laura D. Kamperman of Ellwood City, PA. He graduated from Ellwood City HS in 1947 and Geneva College in 1951, majoring in Pre-Medicine. After graduating from the University of Pittsburgh in 1955 with an MD, he was commissioned into the US Navy Medical Corps. On September 21, 1957, he married his wife of 67 years, Jane E. O’Rourke, his favorite student nurse.
He was boarded in Family Practice and Preventive Medicine with a sub-specialty in Occupational Medicine, and a life-long member of the American Academy of Family Practice as well as various other discipline-specific professional organizations. He set up a family practice in New Kensington, PA, and soon after joined the Aluminum Company of America (ALCOA). In New Kensington, he was also on the staff of Citizen’s General Hospital where he established a “Free Clinic†which dispensed no-cost immunizations to the local citizenry. He became the Medical Director of the ALCOA New Kensington Works and then transferred to Maryville, TN in 1972 where he was named the Medical Director of the Tennessee and North Carolina operations. While in Maryville, Coke volunteered with the Blount County Rescue Squad, an all-volunteer organization tasked with responding to various emergencies within Blount County and surrounding jurisdictions.
After retiring from ALCOA in 1986, he spent 10 years as the head of Occupational Medicine at the US Army’s Aberdeen Proving Ground, Aberdeen, MD. After retiring from Aberdeen, Coke and Jane returned to Tennessee, settling in Tellico Village. During this period, he volunteered with the Loudon County Rescue Squad. His work with the Rescue Squad eventually resulted in the creation of the EMT division of the Tellico Village Volunteer Fire Department.
Coke was an avid fly fisherman, artisan of wood carvings, American Red Cross disaster response volunteer, member of the Knights of Columbus, Lector and subsequently Lay Eucharistic Minister at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church of Lenior City.
Coke and Jane are the happy parents of Kevin L. Kamperman (Tracye), Cynthia Kamperman Lineberger (Michael), and Brian K. Kamperman (Jennifer). Grandchildren include Colin M. Lineberger (Michelle), Kaitlyn Jo Lineberger (Ben), Kelsey L. Kamperman (Josh Porter), Margaret Kamperman-Hearn (Patrick), Sean G. Kamperman, Kevin L. Kamperman, II (Elyssia), and Conor L. Lineberger (Peyton). Great-grandchildren include Callyn Fletcher, Cael Lineberger, Aiyana Lavigne, Caden Lineberger, and Ashlynn Porter.
The family will receive friends on Friday, March 21 from 10-11 AM with Mass to follow at 11 AM at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church in Lenoir City, TN.
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