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Timothy James Poppe

Timothy James Poppe was born in Lincoln, NE on May 15, 1957, to Wilbert A. and Aletha B. (Oeltjen) Poppe. He spent his youth in Lincoln, NE and attended Lincoln Lutheran Junior High and Lincoln East High School. After graduation, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served on active duty for eight years. His training and expertise led him to study and to operate in the growing field of computers. His tours of duty took him to Florida, to California and to the U.S.S. Constellation (CV-64), an aircraft carrier, where he deployed on a Western Pacific Cruise.

Following his days in the navy, Tim worked for several large defense contractor companies. His assignments took him to Germany, Egypt, and Malaysia, along with Norfolk, VA, and Oklahoma City, OK. With his high-level computer skills, he worked with teams that designed, built, repaired and maintained computer systems used to operate flight simulators that trained military pilots.

In 2009 Tim became weak from a chronic condition that forced him from his beloved job. He joined the household of his sister and brother-in-law in Poulsbo, WA and later moved with them to Goodyear, AZ. After many years of independent living, excellent medical care, and family caregiving, his condition became less stable. He passed away peacefully on September 2, 2018, at the Abrazo West Medical Center in Goodyear, AZ.

He is survived by his sister Cynthia L. (Mrs. Randy) Heibel of Goodyear, AZ; a niece, Miranda Heibel (married to Michael Gesner) of Marina del Rey, CA; a nephew, Nathan Heibel (married to Stephanie Borman) of Omaha, NE; and a second niece, Alicia (married to Kevin Kretzer) of Suffolk, VA. He is succeeded by three grand-nephews: Matthew Kretzer, Lucas Heibel, and Jeremiah Kretzer. He is preceded in death by his parents.

 A private memorial service is planned.