Clinton W. Hepler

Clinton Wilbert Hepler, age 94, passed from this life at 4:30 am, July 22, 2012. Hepler was born April 10, 1918 four miles northeast of Fryburg in Forest County, PA. The son of Ora B. and Carrie R. Confer Hepler, he spent his early childhood on a farm cleared by his great-grandfather John Hepler. His early education was at the Shriver School. It was a one room school house with eight grades and his teachers were Ruth Wagner, Esther Korb and Herb Mills. Mills taught with the white oak thistle as well as from books. The old Hepler farm had access to the North and East branches of Hemlock Creek and growing up Clint enjoyed excellent brook trout fishing in both creeks. The groundhogs that he hunted in the farm fence rows, when properly cooked, made good eating as food was scarce. Clint's father was an oil well pumper and when the oil wells in Forest County became depleted, moved the family to Victory Hill two miles east of Franklin. A lease there furnished a livelihood for the family during the depression. Clinton had five sisters: Alverta Reagle, deceased, Viola Russell, deceased and Twila Hoffman of Grove City, Beulah Kightlinger of Franklin and Ruth Chase of Grove City. He also had one brother Orren, deceased and a brother Jack who lives in Franklin. He married Florence E. Clark on August 14, 1943 who survives. He had two sons, Orie W. Hepler and his wife Betty Tressler; and Wayne L. Hepler and his wife Patty Winkler both of Cranberry and a daughter, Jeanne L. Hubbard and her husband Donald of Cincinnati, Ohio. He had 20 grandchildren, 47 great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews. Clint graduated from Cranberry High School in 1936 and was employed by the Joseph Reid Gas Engine Company as an apprentice core maker. After Reid went out of business he worked at Cooper-Bessemer in Grove City. In 1939, he moved back to Oil City to work as a coremaker at National Transit making cylinders for the engines used in ships during World War II. After the National Transit went out of business at the end of the war, Clint went into the lumber business. The last of the old time lumbermen, he cut timber over Northwestern Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio and West Virginia. He also raised beef cattle on the Ramage farm in Cranberry where the new UPMC hospital now stands. In 1960 he bought the Seneca Hardwood Lumber Co. and became well known in the millwork industry. He "retired" in 1990 due to extended illness. The family would like to extend a special thanks to Dr. Roberta Kahler, Dr. Howard Kirtland, all the caregivers from Shirley's Angels Homecare, and VNA Hospice for their care of their father up until the time of his death. Family and friends of Mr. Hepler will be received from 3 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, July, 25, 21012 at Gardinier Funeral Home Inc., 1315 Chestnut Street, Franklin. Funeral services will be held at 1:00 p.m, Thursday at the New Life Community Chapel in Van with the Rev. Larry Aldrich officiating. Interment will be in Sunset Memorial Gardens. The family suggests that memorial contributions be made to a charity of one's choice. To send online condolences, flowers, cards, or to obtain further information, family and friends can visit www.gardinierfuneralhome.com.