Bill Sapp, 'generous' co-founder of Sapp Bros., dies at 86

By Susan Szalewski / World-Herald staff writer . WH 7 April 2019 William “Bill” Sapp of Ashland, Nebraska, was the last surviving brother of the four co-founders of Sapp Bros. Inc., a national chain of travel centers and more.

Sapp, 86, died Thursday, less than a week after his brother Lee’s death, on March 30.

Both brothers had suffered from Alzheimer’s, but the closeness of their deaths was unexpected, said Bill’s wife, Lucille Sapp.

To his family, he was “wonderful, loyal and generous,” Lucille Sapp, said. And for her, “he was a great companion for 66 years” of marriage.

A native of Beatrice, Bill Sapp graduated from Fairbury Community College in 1951 and began teaching in east-central Nebraska, at Polk Junior High School, where he met his future wife. He joined the Army, and they married a short time later.

After the war, he majored in education at the University of Nebraska, graduating in 1958. Sapp taught briefly in Franklin, Nebraska, and worked for a short time for Prudential Insurance.

But he and his brothers — Ray, Dean and Lee Sapp — had bigger plans. They pooled their money and bought a car dealership in Ashland, before shifting to truck stops. What started as a single gas station at Interstate 80 and Nebraska Highway 50 grew into a chain of 17 travel centers in nine states, with their logo based on an iconic coffee pot water tower.

Bill Sapp served as president of the Nebraska Petroleum Marketers and was a member of the National Association of Truck Stop Operators.

In his personal life, he dove into religious ministries. Sapp, a member of Word of Hope Lutheran Church in Ashland, was involved in Gideons International and served on the Omaha-area board of Good News Prison and Jail Ministries. He founded Ashland Men in Mission, which for years has brought men together once a month for breakfast and inspirational speakers.

His survivors include his wife; daughters Suzanne Richard of Ashland, Nancy Edwards of Gretna, Mary Ziegenbein of Ashland and Cindy Rieke of Omaha; nine grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; and sister Zelma Drake of Norfolk, Nebraska.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Hurless and Emily (Hubka) Sapp, his brothers and a sister, Veloura Barnard.

Services will include a sharing of memories at 7 p.m. Thursday at Riverview Community Church in Ashland and a funeral 10:30 a.m. Friday at Christ Community Church, 404 S. 108th Ave. in Omaha.

Obituary WH 8 Apr 2019

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Veteran

Sapp, William "Bill" D. April 20, 1932 - April 4, 2019 Age 86, of Ashland, NE. Passed away at the Oxbow Living Center in Ashland. He was born in Beatrice, NE to Hurless and Emily (Hubka) Sapp. Bill is survived by his wife of 66 years, Lucille Sapp; his daughters, Suzanne (Wayne) Richard of Ashland, Nancy (Dan) Edwards of Gretna, Mary (Kevin) Ziegenbein of Ashland, and Cindy (Robert) Rieke of Omaha; his grandchildren: Abbi (Ryan) Eccleston, Andy (Julie) Richard, Alison (Brian) Reff, Molly Edwards, Matthew (Brooke) Edwards, Amy (Adam) Anderson, Alex (Ashley) Ziegenbein, Austin (Maribeth) Ziegenbein, and Max Rieke; 13 great-grandchildren; sister Zelma Drake; sister-in-law Rose Sapp; brother-in-law Glen Barnard; and many other family members and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, Hurless and Emily (Hubka) Sapp; sisters, Velora Barnard and Irene Brubaker; brothers, Ray Sapp, Dean Sapp, and Lee H. Sapp; sisters-in-law, Lenora Sapp, Susie Sapp, and Helene Sapp; and brothers-in-law, Guy Brubaker and Kenny Drake. FUNERAL SERVICE: Friday, April 12, at 10:30am at Christ Community Church, 404 S. 108th Ave., Omaha. VISITATION: Thursday, April 11, from 5-7pm, with 7pm SHARING of MEMORIES at Riverview Community Church, 324 N. 32nd St. Ashland. Private Family Interment, with Military Honors in Ashland Cemetery. Memorials may be given to the Gideons International, or Good News Prison and Jail Ministries. Visit www.marcysvoboda.com to leave condolences. MARCY MORTUARY 104 N. 15th Street, Ashland, NE 68003 402-944-3343

~~~ Obituary courtesy of the Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clippings on file in the Blair Public Library at Blair, Nebraska.~~~