Alan Propst
October 01, 1949 - April 11, 2015
Obituary
Alan L. Propst of Platteville, WI passed away Saturday, April 11, 2015 at home surrounded by family. Al was born in Decatur, Illinois, October 1, 1949, the son of Carl and Mildred Propst.
Al was a true outdoorsman and his past-times included: fishing, hiking, camping, back-packing, motorcycle riding, and cross-country and downhill skiing. He loved history, reading, wood-working, yoga, walking and playing with his grand-dog Bruno, visiting friends and mooching the occasional cup of coffee while having good conversations. He enjoyed traveling all over the US on his Harley – including Alaska! At the age of 61 he conquered several of the 14,000 ft peaks of Colorado. He loved playing and watching sports as an avid Packer-Brewer-Badger fan, but probably his greatest joy was spending time with his grand-daughter.
Al graduated from Illinois State University in 1972 with degrees in history and psychology and received his Master's degree in Special Education in 1974. He spent his professional life making a deep impact as an educator of special needs students in the Platteville School District and at Southwest Technical College, where he eventually became the Support Service Specialist before his retirement in 2006.
He is survived by his daughter Jill (Jason) TeStrake, son Joshua Propst, ex-wife and best friend Jean Propst, favorite grand-daughter Gemma Testrake and brother Roger (Mary) Propst, sisters Jean Larrick, Roxy Rowe and Barb (Randy) Rawlings, along with many wonderful nieces and nephews and his “family” from SWTC.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Mildred Whitted and Carl Propst and step-father, John Boyer, as well as his beloved cats: Bob, Benny and Tiny.
Visitation will be at the Melby Funeral Home & Crematory on Friday May 1st at 1pm, followed by a memorial service at 3pm; afterwards please join Al's family for a celebration at the shelter of Legion Field from 4-7pm.
A scholarship fund has been established in Al's honor with the Southwest Technical College. Donations can be made to the Southwest Tech Foundation, 1800 Bronson Blvd., Fennimore, WI 53809 or online at www.swtc.edu/foundation/donate-today.