Charles Richard ("Dick") Kepner

CHARLES RICHARD (Dick) KEPNER Passed away peacefully on April 30, 2025, at the age of 81 in Napa, California. Dick was born on August 5, 1943, in Mineola, New York, the second of the three children of Charles Willis and Katherine Marie (Kitty) Kepner, or as he explained it to new acquaintances that he met while growing up, “I was born in Mineola, outside the city,” referring to its location on Long Island a few miles east of New York City. Dick spent most of his youth growing up in Havana, Cuba, because his father worked there as a long-time employee of the United Fruit Company. A sensitive and well-educated man, Dick’s life was characterized by devotion to his family and by a love of travel. He voyaged in his lifetime to six continents and to every state in the United States, often with his parents as companions. Antarctica was the only continent to which he didn’t travel. After earning his Ph. D., Dick worked for a few years at Rochester State Hospital in Rochester, NY, and then for 37 years at Napa State Hospital. He moved from Rochester to Napa to be closer to his parents, who lived nearby in Novato. After he passed away, a decades-long coworker recently wrote about him “that Dick was a good generous man, serving humanity with his goodness and devotion and that he lived his life well.” Dick’s family dearly loved and respected him. He was a person who always knew how to give heartfelt care and support to family members and to friends in their times of difficulty. Their welfare remained constantly on his mind. Dick will be forever remembered and sorely missed. Dick is survived by his older brother, Robert, (Morrisville, NC) and by five nephews – including Robert’s two children, Charles [Chip](Providence, RI) and Derek (Hillsborough, NC) and by his younger brother John’s three children, Ryan (Morganton, NC), Sean (Avon, IN) and Neal (Morganton, NC). His cousin Kathleen Ash of Placerville, CA also survives him. Dick’s younger brother, John, predeceased him. A visitation for family and friends will be held 1100am-12:00pm on Friday, May 16, at Treadway and Wigger Funeral Chapel, 2383 Napa-Vallejo Highway, Napa. Dick will be interred at 2:00pm on Friday next to his parents and younger brother at Valley Memorial Park at 650 Bugeia Lane in Novato, CA. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in memory of Charles Richard Kepner may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association.

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Charles Richard ("Dick") Kepner

August 5, 1943 - April 30, 2025