Cordavee was born August 11, 1939, in Bowman, ND, daughter of John and Roszzella Blees. She married Ray Heupel on December 28, 1959, at St. Charles Catholic Church, Bowman. They lived in Mobridge, SD, and Pipestone, MN. In 1968, they moved to a farm near Bowman, ND, where raised their five children. In March of 1989, Ray and Cordavee moved to Sturgis, S.D.

Cordavee was formally trained and worked in her early years as an xray technician. She also managed the financial aspects of Ray's Auction
Service, conducting estate and community auctions in the Bowman area. She is probably most well known for her work as a bank teller at Gate
City Federal in Bowman and Norwest and Wells Fargo in Sturgis, and thoroughly enjoyed meeting and working with the people she met while at the bank.

Scrapbooking and genealogy were always a big part of her life. She compiled scrapbooks for each of her kids of their school and 4-H activities, as well as tracking family histories and ancestry. She also kept scrapbooks of the Bowman and Sturgis communities.

She was involved with many organizations including 4-H clubs as a member and leader, several school, church and fair boards, as well as being a founding member of the Bowman County Genealogy & Historical Society.

Cordavee M. Heupel, 73, Sturgis, SD, died Saturday, September 22, 2012, at her home.

Cordavee is preceded in death by her husband of 49 years, Raymond.

She survived by her children, Colin Heupel and his wife, Debbie, of Arvada, CO, RaeDeen Heupel of Kalispell, MT, Renee Hansen of Cheyenne, WY, Casey Heupel and his wife, Sharon, of West Glacier, MT, and Chad Heupel and his wife, Helen, of Frederick, MD; nine grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandchild. In her family planning documents, Cordavee listed her only significant accomplishment as "Helping others get awards!"

A memorial has been established to St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church.

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