Wayne "Upty" Uptagrafft

Wayne Ralph Uptagrafft “Upty”, age 91, of Rochester, passed away at peace on July 5th 2023, fighting to be reunited with the love of his life, Ila Mae.

Wayne was born in Mitchell, SD to Harold and Marie (Goldammer) Uptagrafft on January 21st 1932. He and his brothers and sisters were raised on a small farm South of Mitchell. He attended Mitchell High School where he was an active football, baseball and basketball player. Before completing high school, he graciously left to work as a general farm hand for his uncle Leonard, helping his family make ends meet before he bravely enlisted in the service in 1950. Wayne met the love of his life, Ila, at age 15, while at the movies with his brother. Wayne was smitten with Ila and offered her a lemon drop, and although she didn’t like them, she too was smitten with him and accepted the lemon drop - the rest was history. Wayne proposed to Ila before he left for the Korean War and when he returned from serving they married on the 27th day of February 1953 at the Methodist Church in Mitchell, SD. Wayne and Ila went on to have four daughters - Karen, Linda, Connie “aka Sam” and Sherri.

Wayne proudly served in the United States Army from 1950-1960. His first year he was stationed at Fort Jackson, SC as a Platoon Sergeant and in 1951 he transferred to Fort Bragg, NC for a month long intense training before deployment – preparing him to survive the toughest physical and mental conditions of war. Wayne served in the Army Special Forces, 8240th Army Unit (Wolfpack 1) in Korea from 1952 to January of 1953 as Chief Operation Sergeant and First Sergeant. He was stationed on an island called Kanghwa-do in the Yellow Sea, operating with South Korean guerrilla troops behind enemy lines north of the 38th parallel. Wayne received the Bronze Star w/v and Combat Infantry Badge during combat action. He also received the Good Conduct Medal and 19 additional military ribbons and accommodations. He served in the South Dakota National Guard until 1960 when he was honorably discharged for medical reasons.

After the war, Wayne became a sales manager for an implement dealer and in 1969 he and the family moved to Rochester, MN where he managed an implement and construction equipment business until his retirement in 1980. In 1991 he became the special teams coach for the Stewartville High School football team for nearly a decade. Wayne was passionate about helping his fellow Veterans and served as the Commander of the Korean War Veteran Club in Rochester from 2002-2009. During his time with the KWVA he eloquently spoke at several schools, marched in parades, presented their Colors in the Color Guard, provided coffee to the VA in Rochester, held weekly breakfasts for Veterans to come together for friendship and social activities, and helped raise awareness about PTSD. He firmly believed that “no Veteran should ever have to be homeless in America” and tirelessly lobbied for Veterans’ issues, including access to better healthcare. He kept his word and honored a fellow Korean War Navy Veteran with a proper burial, and took numerous homeless Veterans out for meals.

Upty was blessed with many grandkids and great grandkids which he had an immense amount of love for. He would do anything for his grandchildren and they could always depend on him. He made it to many of his grandkids school and sporting events and was always their biggest supporter. He loved watching all sports, but especially enjoyed attending Vikings and Twins games and loved watching the Packers lose. He was an avid traveler and he and Ila criss-crossed the US together, traveled many times with their grandkids, and were honored guests by the South Korean’s in 2005 on a hosted trip back to “The Land of the Morning Calm”. He enjoyed being outside – gardening, working in the yard, grilling up a chicken and singing everyone a tune.

Wayne is survived by his daughters Karen (Jeffrey) Lansing of Rochester, Linda (Marvin) Seppala of Wilsonville OR, Connie (Roger) Busho of Owatonna and Sherri (Jeffrey) Fleming of Preston; brother, Richard Uptagrafft; sisters Doris (Ron) Bender and Ruth Wilson; brothers- in-law Wilbur Hohn, Rodney Klinger; nine grandchildren, Shelly, Krista, Mike, Kelly, Brad, Alexandra, Meghan, Adam and Tyler; and 15 great-grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his wife Ila (Tastad) Uptagrafft; parents Harold and Marie Uptagrafft; brothers Harold Uptagrafft, Don Uptagrafft, Robert Uptagrafft; sisters Darlene Hohn, Joyce Klinger; brother-in- law Jim Wilson; sister-in-law Marilyn Uptagrafft.

Dad, Grandpa, Brother, Son, Husband, Friend, Veteran – you will always be remembered for your amazing gift of gab and how you could and would talk to anyone, you weren’t afraid to share your opinion, give advice, help others, you had a wonderful sense of humor, always had a story, you were a fighter in every sense of the word, you wore your white Korean Veteran hat with pride and it never went unnoticed, you were kind and caring. We love you and you will be so greatly missed; until we meet again.

The family wishes to thank Traditions of Preston, where Wayne resided for the past 3 years, for their steadfast care and Moments Hospice of Rochester for their compassion and great care during this difficult time. In lieu of flowers we ask that you consider making a donation to the Korean War Veterans Association (http://kwva.us), take a veteran to a cafe and buy them a meal, or simply pay forward Wayne’s unending acts of kindness to someone, today and always.

The funeral service for Wayne will take place at 10:30 A.M. on Friday (July 14, 2023) at Zumbro Lutheran Church in Rochester, MN with Rev. Shelley Cunningham officiating. Burial will take place for both Wayne and Ila at the Minnesota State Veteran’s Cemetery in Preston, MN with military graveside honors by Rochester American Legion Post 22. A time of visitation for family and friends will take place 1 hour prior to the service at the church on Friday morning. Condolences and memories of Wayne are welcome at www.griffin-gray.com

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