Pamela Pierce Hepple
September 25, 2022

Robert Heald Hepple
May 7, 2021

Pam and Bob Hepple were the love of each other’s lives. Introduced to each other in Chicago by Bob’s sister Jan, they married in 1968. Together, they enjoyed traveling, hiking, camping and anything that enabled them to be outdoors. Some favorite locations included North Park near Pittsburgh, the Outer Bank, NC, the Four Corners in the Southwest, and Compiegne, France. They were passionate about music and treasured the music of Pittsburgh’s Tuesday Musical Club, lending their musical appreciation and cooking skills to the effort. As avid music lovers, they volunteered as ushers with the Pittsburgh Symphony and the Public Theater in Pittsburgh for many years. Their family and friends were a very important part of their lives.

Pamela (Pam) passed away peacefully on September 25, 2022, in Rochester, NY after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s.
She was born July 1941 in Cincinnati, OH, the second of 7 Pierce girls. She graduated from Walnut Hills High School, Cincinnati, OH and earned her Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education from Purdue University, Lafayette, IN. She earned her Master’s in Counseling from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI and her Doctorate in Educational Administration from Northwestern University, Evanston, IL.

Pam held various positions in the higher education field and was particularly fond of her work with students in the Dean of Women’s offices at Purdue and Northwestern Universities and as Assistant Dean of Student Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh’s Nursing School. She loved connecting with people and especially with students discussing their goals and aspirations.

She was a dedicated advocate for women’s rights and gender equality, having grown up when, among other things, women were not permitted to wear pants on college campuses. She was particularly involved advocating for women’s reproductive and equal rights, marching, demonstrating, and volunteering to show her support. She loved her volunteer work for Maya Works, a nonprofit working with Maya women in Guatemala to promote economic security through economic development social venture, microcredit, and scholarships.

Pam enjoyed being active intellectually and physically and spent time reading, travelling, biking, being outdoors. She could regularly be heard exclaiming, “Isn’t it a beautiful day?!” Her enthusiasm and positivity lifted up those around her. She was inherently a joyful person sharing her smile and enthusiasm with friends and strangers alike.

Robert (Bob) passed away peacefully in Fresno, CA on May 7, 2021 where he lived for 4 ½ years near family.
He was born November 1936 in Chicago, IL. He graduated from New Trier High School in Winnetka, IL and earned his Bachelor of Economics from Carlton College, Northfield, Minnesota. He became a Naval Officer attending Officer Candidate School in Newport, RI and was based in Pearl Harbor serving on the USS Fessenden DER-142 and the USS Taylor DDE-468, spending several years stationed in Japan, Hawaii, and San Diego. After his discharge from the Navy, Bob earned his MBA at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI.

Bob lived and worked in Chicago and Pittsburgh as an organizational consultant and in organizational and strategic planning for AB Dick, Booz Allen, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Mellon Bank.

He had a keen sense of curiosity, which led him to continual exploration of literature, history, art, and culture, as well as more tangible pursuits including gardening, cooking, fishing, and photography. He was most at home out in the woods and mountains and cared deeply about the natural environment, particularly the health of Southwestern Pennsylvania’s rivers and streams, as he was an avid fly fisherman. He volunteered with Penn’s Woods Trout Unlimited restoring stream banks and other waterway health projects. On a hike with Bob, he knew the name of every tree, plant and bird, and he camped, hiked, biked, fished, and skied throughout the US.

Pam and Bob are survived by their children Jennifer Paige (John Fetter) Hepple and Robert (Johanna) Raines Hepple, as well as their four grandchildren, Isadora and Jackson Raines Hepple, and Graham and Katell Fetter.

Bob’s sister, Jane Ann (Jan) Puterbaugh, joined him, passing suddenly in March 2023. Bob is also survived by his brother, David (Mary), brother-in-law David Puterbaugh, nephews John (Emily, Theo, Ruth), Eric (Johanna, Gabriella), Stephen, and niece Elizabeth (Josephine). He is pre-deceased by his father, Robert Clark Hepple; mother, Mary Louise Heald Hepple, stepmother, Ruth Schuchat Hepple, and her sister, Edna Schuchat.

Pam is also survived by her sisters and their children Karen (Chip, Mark), Patrice (Tonya), Kristin (Christophe, Valerie), Wendy (Bradley, Gregory), Valerie (Pierce, Paige), and Teri. Pam was pre-deceased by her mother, Freda Steinberg Pierce and father Wendell Howard Pierce.

Friends and family are invited to join in celebrating Pam and Bob’s lives at a memorial gathering being held at The Hochstein School of Music in Rochester, NY on May 27, 2023, at 2 pm.

Donations in their memory can be made to:
Pittsburgh’s Tuesday Musical Club Click HERE to Donate
Planned Parenthood Click HERE to Donate
The New Hampshire Music Festival Click HERE to Donate