john kepner

John Callender Kepner July 14, 1952 - July 14, 2014 John Callender Kepner passed away peacefully on the evening of his 62nd birthday with his two brothers, Charles Richard (Dick) of Napa, California, and Robert Ford (Bob) of Durham, North Carolina, close by and his three sons, Ryan Jonathan and Neal Brandon of Morganton, North Carolina, and Sean Christopher of Bloomington, Indiana, in his heart. John was a man of many talents and interests. An avid ham radio aficionado, he shared his interest in worldwide communication with his children in their early years. He earned both his undergraduate degree (Bachelor of Science, Chemistry) and his graduate degree (Master of Science, Chemistry) from Sacramento State University. John held many jobs in life. His first was as a chemist in the cement production industry, working both in Sacramento, California, and later in Richlands, Virginia. He then changed fields completely and became a nurse and nurse anesthetist, endeavors which led him to the field of production quality assurance and to a career with Tyson Foods, first in Corydon, Indiana, and finally in Broken Bow, Oklahoma. John lived the final years of his life in Idabel, Oklahoma, a few miles from the Tyson plant in Broken Bow. John was born on July 14, 1952, to Charles Willis and Katherine Ford Kepner in Havana, Cuba, where he lived until the age of 8. After Cuba, he and his family began a sequence of moves to some fascinating communities and adventures, first in the United States ... in New Orleans, then to Natick, close to Boston, and finally to Westfield, New Jersey, close to New York City ... and then to Caracas, Venezuela. Interspersed were periods in San Rafael, California, and Novato, California. During the years that John lived abroad in Cuba and Venezuela, he traveled annually with his parents and brothers to the family homes of his father and mother. His father was born and raised in Corydon, a small, picturesque community in southern Indiana. His mother was born and raised in New York City. During his youth years, John came to appreciate the values and distinctive differences between small-town and big-city life styles. As the years passed and his children grew to adulthood, John held in very high value his relationship with his three children and with his two brothers. He particularly appreciated the love and support that his brother, Richard, gave consistently for many years. The two of them spoke with each other regularly, several times a day in John's later years. He also held education and life preparation as important standards for his children. John Callender Kepner was the youngest of the three children born to Charles and Katherine Kepner, both of whom predeceased him. He is survived by Cynthia Driscoll, the mother of his children and also by his children and his brothers, by his sister-in-law, Margaret, Bob's wife, and their two children, nephews Charles (Chip) and Derek, by their wives, Kristina and Marti, respectively, and by his grand-nephews, Maggie and Cole.