Norbert John Klepac

Norbert John Klepac, of North Richland Hills passed away February 22, 2020. He was born June 23, 1933 to Frank and Angeline (Karkoska) Klepac in Corn Hill, Texas. He was baptized, confirmed and married at The Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Corn Hill. Norbert remained true to his catholic faith throughout his life; he was a member of many Catholic Churches throughout the country, with the last being St. Helens in Georgetown, Our Lady of Lebanon in Lewisville and finally St. John the Apostle in North Richland Hills.

Norbert helped on the family farm until he was 21 when he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. After his first tour, he came home and married his friend and lifelong companion, Helen Kubala, on April 4, 1959. Together they began a lifelong adventure in the Navy and in retirement visiting many countries, going on several cruises, and visiting dear friends in Dunoon, Scotland.

During his naval career, Norbert served on a cruiser, 2 tugs, a tender and an aircraft carrier. He was serving as a Boatswain Mate on the USS Pueblo when it was captured by the North Koreans on January 23, 1968 and held a prisoner in Pyongyang until his release on December 23, 1968. He always felt very close to the Pueblo crew members and considered each a life-long friend. During his naval career and in retirement, Norbert was a highly respected Boatswain Mate. He was a true sailor through and through, he loved the United States and the American flag and was proud that he served to defend them both state-side and abroad.

After retirement from the service, he and his family settled in Georgetown, Texas. Norbert held several jobs with the last being a Maintenance Supervisor for the GISD bus barn. In 2002, he moved to Lewisville, TX to be close to family and in 2018 to North Richland Hills.

In the last 7 years, Alzheimer’s and PTSD robbed him of many memories, but on good days he would reminisce and share many stories about his childhood, the many ports he was visited during his overseas tours and his imprisonment in North Korea. Norbert fondly talked about his beloved John Deere tractor that he had when he worked on his family farm. One of his favorite sayings was, “if you have duct tape you can fix anything”. During the last several years he enjoyed working on jigsaw puzzles, playing hearts on his computer, watching baseball and poker, and laughing while watching CNN.

He is survived by his wife Helen of almost 61 years, sons Father Richard of Seattle, Washington, Gary and wife Tammy from North Richland Hills and daughter Lisa (lil’ Bug) from North Richland Hills and brother-in-law Paul Pokorny of Taylor, Texas, and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by son Norbert, Jr., sisters: Betty, Mary, Agnes and Bernice and brothers: Alfonse, Johnnie, Frank and Vincent.

He was a member of Catholic Life Insurance, the VFW, DAV and the American Legion.

Visitation will be held from 6:00 to 8:00 P.M on Monday, March 2, 2020 at Lucas Funeral Home in Hurst with a Rosary Service beginning at 7:00 P.M.

Funeral Mass will be held at 10:30 A.M., Tuesday, March 3, 2020 at St. John the Apostle Catholic Church located at 7341 Glenview Drive, North Richland Hills, Texas 76180. Committal service with full Navy Honors will be at 2:15 P.M. at Dallas Fort Worth National Cemetery located at 2000 Mountain Creek Parkway, Dallas, Texas 75211.