Richard Paul Krupicka

Richard Paul Krupicka passed peacefully into God’s eternal loving arms on September 17, 2026, after a battle with pancreatic cancer.

Services will be held Friday, September 25, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. at Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey Funeral Home, with a visitation prior to the service starting at 12:00 p.m. Interment will be at Waco Memorial Park.

Richard Paul Krupicka was born on July 12,1954, at Hillcrest Hospital in Waco, Texas. He was the second of three children born to Ben and Charlene (Bedrich) Krupicka. Paul was raised in Waco, attending Christ Lutheran Church, where he was baptized and confirmed.

Growing up Paul took piano lessons for a-number-of years. He had the privilege of participating with thirteen other students in a special presentation for the Texas Piano Teachers convention in Corpus Christi. In July 1970, Paul began working in the office at Mrs. Baird’s Bakery in Waco, doing several various tasks.

Paul attended Hillcrest Elementary, Lake Air Junior High, and Richfield High School. He graduated high school in May 1972, in the top five percent of his class. He then attended McLennan Community College for a year before transferring to Baylor. He graduated from Baylor in May 1976 with a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in religion and minors in classical Greek and History.

It was in 1969 that Paul met the love of his life, when JoAnn and her parents joined Christ Lutheran. From the moment he saw her, Paul knew that she was the person with whom he wanted to spend his life. Paul and JoAnn were united in marriage on August 22, 1975, at Christ Lutheran. To this marriage two children, Stephen and Karen were born.

Paul and JoAnn lived in Waco for a year following their marriage while Paul finished Baylor, continued to work at Mrs. Baird’s, and helped with the ministry at Christ Lutheran. Then in August 1976, they moved to Dubuque, Iowa where Paul attended Wartburg Theological Seminary. He graduated from Wartburg in May 1980 with a Master of Divinity degree.

Paul and JoAnn then went on to serve Grace Lutheran Church (1980-1985) in Eagle Lake, Texas, Trinity Lutheran Church (1985-1994) in Stonewall, Texas, Christ Lutheran Church (1994-2003) in Georgetown, Texas, and St. Matthew Lutheran Church (2003-2018) in Waco, Texas.

Paul had a passion for sharing Christ’s love throughout each community he served and enjoyed helping numerous organizations in various leadership roles.

While in Eagle Lake, he served as a volunteer EMT with the Colorado County EMS. He provided leadership for fellow clergy serving as Dean of the Hill Country Conference while in Stonewall. He served on the board of directors for many years with Cross Trails Ministry assisting with the camping ministry for youth and Lutheran Sunset Ministries assisting with ministry and geriatric care. He served as a leader within Stephen Ministries.

He served as an officer with the Georgetown High School Band Boosters while in Georgetown. No matter the community, Paul had a passion for providing mentorship, Christian education, and leadership to youth and adults of all ages. One highlight for both Paul and JoAnn included multiple adventures to participate in the Christian education opportunities at Holden Village in Chelan, Washington and being fortunate on a few occasions to share in this experience with friends from their congregations.

Paul was preceded in death by his parents Ben & Charlene (Bedrich) Krupicka and his sister, Kathy Husak.

He is survived by his wife, JoAnn (Krollage) Krupicka; son, Stephen Krupicka & wife Kelly of Harper, TX; daughter, Karen Couch & husband Thomas of Prizren, Kosovo; brother Wayne Krupicka & wife Juanita of Birmingham, AL; grandchildren Colby Brewer, Zachary Krupicka & fiancé Payton, Sean Krupicka, Kyle Krupicka, Sarah Couch, and Hannah Couch; brother-in-law, Fred Husak, and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

The Krupicka family is forever grateful to the staff of Providence Hospice for caring for Paul in his final days with us.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in honor of Paul may be sent to:

Cross Trails Ministry ( Camping & Retreat Ministry) www.crosstrails.org 391 Upper Turtle Creek Rd. Kerrville, TX 78028

TMS Global (Cross-culture Christian Ministry) www.tms-global.org PO Box 936559 Atlanta, GA 31193

The Mosaic Foundation (Assisted Living for Special Needs) www.mosaicinfo.org 4980 S. 118th St. Omaha, NE 68137

Lutheran Sunset Ministries (Elderly Care & Ministry) www.lutheransunset.org PO Box 71 Clifton, TX 76634

The family invites you to leave a message or memory of Paul in his “Memorial Guestbook” at www.WHBfamily.com.