Kern County CA Obituary Project Obituaries.....Hepner, Stephen John February 25, 2005 ********************************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/obits/obitsca/obitsca.htm ********************************************************** File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: K T bluewolf@onemain.com March 9, 2005, 11:19 pm The Tehachapi News Stephen John Hepner July 8, 1920 – Feb. 25, 2005 Tehachapi resident Stephen John Hepner died at the age of 84 on Feb. 25 following several years of declining health. Though losing a loved one is never easy, Steve’s family is comforted by the fact that he left under the best possible conditions: he passed away peacefully in his sleep, in his own bed next to Betsy, his wife of 56 years. His son Steve had been sitting with him and other relatives were nearby. Steve and Betsy have been residents of the Tehachapi area since 1986. Steve was born in Nauhau, Czechoslovakia on July 8, 1920 to John and Ernestine Kline Hepner. Though living in Czechoslovakia, the Hepners were of German- descent and lived in a community with many other German-speaking residents. He was the only son among five children. Steve’s father John emigrated to America and he and his mother followed in 1925. Steve and his mother were processed through Ellis Island, N.Y., and his name is on the memorial wall created when Ellis Island was restored several years ago. Steve’s father John performed the difficult and dangerous job of a steeplejack, climbing steep roofs to paint, shingle or make repairs. This cost him his life when he fell from a church steeple in Fremont, Ohio and was killed. The family stayed in Fremont and after Steve graduated from high school and turned 18, he and his mother and his sister Mary moved to Burbank in 1938, looking for better opportunities and warmer weather. Steve immediately went to work at Lockheed, beginning work as a mechanic/technician. He worked at Lockheed for six years until he was drafted into service on June 26, 1944 to help fight World War II. He served in the European Theatre, traveling through Belgium, Germany and France as a sergeant attached to a quartermaster company. When Steve was honorably discharged on June 21, 1946, he returned to Lockheed to find his job waiting for him. He bought a lot in the small town of Sylmar and had a home built there for $4,800. Two years later, he married Betsy Ross, a Chicago-area resident who had been visiting Southern California. After their 1948 marriage in Yuma, Ariz., Steve and Betsy moved into the Sylmar house and raised three children. Steve remained at Lockheed for 44 years, finally retiring as a planning supervisor. During his tenure, he worked on such well-known aircraft as the P- 38 Lightning, the SR-71, the Lockheed Electra, L10-11, C-130s and near the end of his career, the space shuttle program. Steve and Betsy enjoyed being active members of the Lockheed Management Club and after he retired they continued to participate in the Lockheed Retirement Club. Steve thoroughly enjoyed traveling and was an avid fisherman. He was also a talented woodworker who made many of the clocks in the Hepner home. He and Betsy also enjoyed live acoustic music and often attended gigs featuring their son Steve, a well-known local musician and luthier. Steve is survived by his eldest daughter, Patricia Durham Holty and husband George of Oak Harbor, Wash.; son Steve and daughter Carol, both of Tehachapi; daughter-in-law Wanda Brown of Tehachapi; and his sole surviving sibling, Mary of Santa Maria. He also leaves behind grandchildren Caroline, Melodee, Krissy, Ben, Kimmy, Michael and recent additions Jacob and Brianna, as well as seven great- grandchildren. Visitation was held on Tuesday, March 1 with services conducted on Wednesday. Both were held at the Wood Family Funeral Services chapel. Internment followed at Eternal Valley in Newhall. Additional Comments: Volunteer submission - No relation to the deceased. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ca/kern/obits/gob6225hepner.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/caobfiles/ File size: 4.3 Kb