Duty Death: Donald “Donny” Lepper - [Indianola]
End of Service: 23/02/2020
By Laura French
INDIANOLA, Neb. — A Nebraska volunteer firefighter collapsed and died suddenly on Sunday just hours after battling a grass fire.
Indianola Volunteer Firefighter Donald Lepper, 46, responded to the grass fire Saturday afternoon and collapsed the next morning from currently unknown causes, according to KLKN TV.
“I don’t know if we’ll ever know because they didn’t do an autopsy or anything. He was at a fire the night before, so within this 24-hour period is when everything happened,” Tammy Washa, Lepper’s ex-wife and the mother of his two sons, told KLKN TV.
Lepper’s son, Andrew, said his father was very active in the community, participating in softball and pool leagues and helping plan town events.
Lepper was a member of the Indianola Fire and Rescue Squad for 24 years, according to his obituary.
His funeral will be held on Feb. 29 according to the Nebraska State Volunteer Firefighters Association.