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Charles "Chuck" Joseph Hepp
Charles "Chuck" Joseph Hepp died on Sunday, March 13, 2011 at his home in
Klamath Falls in the loving care of close family and friends.
Chuck was born in Detroit, Mich., in 1926, and raised by his mother in Chicago, Ill.,
Chuck served in the U.S. Navy in
Europe and North Africa. After the war, he returned to Chicago to an apprenticeship
as a photo engraver. In 1955, Chuck left the Windy City with his wife Violletta and
daughter Suzanne and headed for the sun in Florida.
In Fort Lauderdale, he worked for the Fort Lauderdale News, but the ocean was his
first love. He learned to scuba dive and, in 1961, was one of the first to complete the
new National Association of Underwater Instructors Course. In 1965, he and Suzanne
moved to the Bahamas, where he was a founder member of the Underwater Explorers
Society (UNEXSO) in Freeport, Grand Bahama. One of the pioneers of deep diving,
Chuck was a safety diver when Jacques Mayol made his record free dive in 1968.
In 1971, Chuck married Lucinda, another NAUI instructor. A year later, he got the
opportunity to work full time as an Aerospace Facilities Engineer for his second love -
the space program. This work and their diving activities took Chuck and Lucinda all
over the world, making lifelong friends wherever they went. In 2001, they moved west
to join Suzanne in Klamath Falls.
Chuck loved the outdoor life, especially walking their two beloved dogs and downhill
skiing again after nearly 50 years. Always a firm favorite with children and a natural
teacher, Chuck read for SMART, the children's literacy program, for several years.
A big man with a big heart, Chuck will be sorely missed by his wife and daughter and
many, many friends. A celebration of his life will be held in Klamath Falls in May
(details to be arranged).
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