Koopmeiners, Linus (1939-2015)

https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/gen_oh/23/ [16073]

Biographical Information: Linus Koopmeiners was born on July 13, 1939, in Freeport, Minnesota. Koopmeiners moved to the St. Cloud area in 1959, where he began work as an apprentice welder and machinist with the Gran-A-Stone Company. Here he eventually achieved the position of general manager in the company by 1969. During this time, Koopmeiners also started a family with his wife Marina and raised six children: Scott, Daniel, Kelly, Kurt, Stephanie, and Terry. Koopmeiners passed away on June 14, 2015 at the age of 75.

Transcript Summary: In an interview conducted on July 12, 1978, Linus Koopmeiners discussed his life within the St. Cloud area, including about his job and family. Koopmeiners noted that he originally moved to St. Cloud from Freeport in 1959, and began working at the Gran-A-Stone Company as an apprentice welder and machinist, helping produce “building trades,” such as fireplace components. Koopmeiners also acknowledged his success with the company (in which he worked his way up to the position of general manager in 1969), attributing it to a mixture of luck and, even more so, hard work. Aside from his work, Koopmeiner’s also discussed information pertaining to his family, including his parent’s German roots and as a parent alongside his wife Marina to their six children.

Interview conducted by Mark Stone