Former Milwaukee Journal sports writer and editor Mike Kupper died Sept. 17 of renal failure — and wrote his own obituary.
The obituary appeared in the Sept. 23, 2025 issue of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. According to the obituary:
After graduating from Waukesha Catholic Memorial High School, Kupper earned a journalism degree from Marquette University. He was a sportswriter at the Waukesha Freeman before working at The Milwaukee Journal for 25 years, and then became senior assistant sports editor at the Los Angeles Times.
During his 51 years of covering college and pro sports, Kupper counted Super Bowls, Indianapolis 500s, winter and summer Olympics, World Series, NCAA, Daytona 500s and NBA finals among his stories. He also wrote news stories, features, columns and various opinion pieces. He also helped young writers achieve their potential during a time when newspapers were particularly relevant.
“It was all he ever wanted and more,” Kupper wrote in his own obituary. “And he got paid for it!”
After moving to Los Angeles, his wife, Mary Ann, became dean of students at Louisville High School in Woodland Hills, Calif., but she died in 2016.
Survivors include a son and two daughters, as well as grandchildren and friends. Besides his wife, Kupper was preceded in death by a son.
Funeral services are pending. Instead of flowers, memorials should be directed to the Mary Ann Kipper Scholarship Fund at Louisville High School, 2230 Mulholland Drive, Woodlands Hills CA 91364, or Homeboy Industries, 130 W. Bruno St., Los Angeles CA 90012.
