William "Willie" Hepper November 28, 1932 - December 18, 2021
Obituaries-Mobridge / Posted Dec 21, 2021 | 11:11 AM / 1387 views
William “Willie” Hepper, 89 of Mobridge passed away Saturday, December
18, 2021 at Mobridge Regional Hospital in Mobridge.Arrangements are
pending with Kesling Funeral Home of Mobridge.
Funeral services for William “Willie” Hepper, 89 of Mobridge will be
held at 2 p.m. December 22, 2021 at Kesling Funeral Home Chapel.Burial
will be in Greenwood Cemetery under the direction of Kesling Funeral
Home.Visitation will be Tuesday December 21, 2021 from 5-7 p.m. at
Kesling Funeral Home Chapel.In lieu of flowers, the family suggests
memorials to New Hope Cancer Foundation, PO Box 422, Mobridge SD, 57601.
William Raymond “Willie” Hepper was born on November 28, 1932 in Sioux
County, ND to Rose (Mattis) and Rudolph Hepper.He joined his brothers
Calvin, Edward and Adolph, and his sister Emma.They were later joined by
Rudy, Norma, Stanley, Alvin, Harold and Ronnie.
Willie graduated from McLaughlin High School in 1950 and worked on the
family farm until volunteering for Army service in 1954, where he served
in Japan.After his discharge in 1956, he worked in Kalispell, Montana as
a lineman before moving back to Selfridge.
Willie married Cecilia “Sis” Imberi on September 29, 1956, and they
settled in McLaughlin, where they co-owned the Corner Bar with his
brother-in-law Tony Schneider and sister Norma.In 1963, Willie and
family moved to Mobridge where they ran the Gay Time bar on South Main
Street.
In 1972, Willie sold the Gay Time and was able to follow his life’s main
passion of farming and ranching full time.For the next 36 years, he and
SIs ran their operation from a place on the southeast side of Mobridge,
operating from land on the east and west side of the river.In 2008, they
moved to town, and Willie began the slow process of retirement.
Willie’s civic activities included work on the Mobridge Rodeo board and
being a hard-working member of the Moose Club.
Willie is survived by children Kenny, Kelly, Larry (Kendra), Kim
(Leonard Linde) and Jim, grandchildren Karolina, Alexandra (Justin)
Rapetti, Travis, Laurel Linde, Clayton, Jacob, Hudson, Sabrina (Daniel)
Dehart and Troy, and great-grandchildren Calvin and Julia. He was
preceded in death by his parents, daughter Lauri, and brothers Eddie,
Ronnie, Calvin, Adolph and Alvin.