With a knock on the door of our 7th grade classroom at Cascade JHS, the Vice Principal entered escorting a new student…. Tim Hepner. Turns out his family had moved about a block from where my family lived, so we walked back and forth to school through Junior High. Tim had moved from Lead, South Dakota and told me about the huge gold mine there and the ‘ghost town’ of Deadwood, where Wild Bill Hickock was buried. He was pretty much a regular around our house, where we’d play basketball, fish for trout on Soos Creek, or on Green River for steelhead and salmon. I probably saw him last at GRCC in 1973. I’ve visited the Black Hills several times in the intervening years and would think about Tim when passing through Lead, or seeing Wild Bill’s grave. I wouldn’t describe the current Deadwood as a ‘ghost town’, as it certainly has experienced a new boom post the HBO Series. Not sure if he ever saw the current town? Rest in Peace, Timmie!
Four of us ’72 senior guys were involved in the Bible Baptist Church youth group: Tim Hepner, Dan Peterson (me), Bernie Schaffer, and Steve Trott. Tim and I had eyes for a couple of the sophomore girls coming into the group in the fall of ‘71. I ended up marrying his sister Debbie Hepner (’74), and Tim married Sue Nafziger (from Kent). In the early 80s we lived near each other and worked together in Ephrata, where Tim spent his career managing a feed/fertilizer plant and land lording a few rentals. We both had three daughters and remained close over the years. Sue died of cancer in 2017, Tim remarried in 2020 and spent his last years in Moses Lake. His battle with cancer lasted about 8 months, and we were able to be with him a few times for drives to appointments in Seattle. His lifelong faith in Jesus Christ was highlighted at his family-only memorial service on March 15, 2025. “Tim was a remarkable man whose generosity and service to countless people has made an eternal impact.”
I was so sorry to hear of Tim's passing. Tim was a part of a group of friends who became my friends when I was an exchange student, he was also a member of the Auburn Bible Baptist Church which I attended.
Phil Strand
With a knock on the door of our 7th grade classroom at Cascade JHS, the Vice Principal entered escorting a new student…. Tim Hepner. Turns out his family had moved about a block from where my family lived, so we walked back and forth to school through Junior High. Tim had moved from Lead, South Dakota and told me about the huge gold mine there and the ‘ghost town’ of Deadwood, where Wild Bill Hickock was buried. He was pretty much a regular around our house, where we’d play basketball, fish for trout on Soos Creek, or on Green River for steelhead and salmon. I probably saw him last at GRCC in 1973. I’ve visited the Black Hills several times in the intervening years and would think about Tim when passing through Lead, or seeing Wild Bill’s grave. I wouldn’t describe the current Deadwood as a ‘ghost town’, as it certainly has experienced a new boom post the HBO Series. Not sure if he ever saw the current town? Rest in Peace, Timmie!
Dan Peterson
Four of us ’72 senior guys were involved in the Bible Baptist Church youth group: Tim Hepner, Dan Peterson (me), Bernie Schaffer, and Steve Trott. Tim and I had eyes for a couple of the sophomore girls coming into the group in the fall of ‘71. I ended up marrying his sister Debbie Hepner (’74), and Tim married Sue Nafziger (from Kent). In the early 80s we lived near each other and worked together in Ephrata, where Tim spent his career managing a feed/fertilizer plant and land lording a few rentals. We both had three daughters and remained close over the years. Sue died of cancer in 2017, Tim remarried in 2020 and spent his last years in Moses Lake. His battle with cancer lasted about 8 months, and we were able to be with him a few times for drives to appointments in Seattle. His lifelong faith in Jesus Christ was highlighted at his family-only memorial service on March 15, 2025. “Tim was a remarkable man whose generosity and service to countless people has made an eternal impact.”
Geoff Whitfield
I was so sorry to hear of Tim's passing. Tim was a part of a group of friends who became my friends when I was an exchange student, he was also a member of the Auburn Bible Baptist Church which I attended.My condolences to his family.