Kenneth Edward Kepple

Kenneth Edward Kepple was born in Ft. Worth March 5, 1939 to F.E. Kepple Jr. and Alline Griggs Kepple.  He passed away December 4, 2020.

Kepple, as he was fondly known to many family and friends grew up in Ft. Worth and graduated from Tech High School in 1957.  He attended Texas A&M University on an academic scholarship and later attended Arlington college majoring in Mechanical Engineering.

He met the love of his life, Carolyn Luanne McMath, on a blind date in 1959 and they were married on December 22, 1960. The couple started their life together in Ft. Worth but soon moved to Joshua where they built their lives and raised their family.

Kepple joined the Navel Reserves in 1962 and continued this career until 1965.  Once he left the navy Kepple worked at Westronics in Ft. Worth but also bought a hardware store in Joshua from 1968-1971.

In 1972, the Kepples used their life savings and took a leap by buying a White’s Auto (which later became Western Auto) and an Ace Hardware.  They would continue to work along side each other until retiring in 2001.  Kepple’s hands did not sit idle long as he opened Big J’s Auto which he worked along side his wonderful friend, Johnny Sledge until he finally closed the doors in 2014.

Kepple believed in giving back to his community and would often donate time or merchandise to different causes in the town of Joshua.  He served on many boards such as Joshua City Council in the 1970’s and Board of Directors at many community banks from 1976-1988.  He also served on the Joshua Fresh Water District 2005-2007 and was a founding member of the Joshua Chamber of Commerce.

Kepple and Lu were awarded Citizens of the year in 1994 and Ken was the first recipient of the Joshua Legacy award in 2014.

Although Kepple was known as an accomplished businessman you did not have to talk to him long before he mentioned his kids or grandchildren.  He and Lu were parents to Kyle Kepple born in 1970 and Cari Foster born in 1972.  He also enjoyed watching his grandgirls grow up and watch them in their activities.  He always impressed on both his children and his grandchildren how important it was to him that they get an education. He never let it be lost on them how much he loved them and how proud he was of all of them.

Kepple was preceded in death by his parents, his brothers Ray, Donald and Jimmy, and one sister Catherine (Ann).

He is survived by his loving wife of almost 60 years, Lu Kepple of Joshua; his son Kyle Kepple, his fiancé Sharese and their daughter Ciara of Springtown, TX.  Cari Foster, her husband, Greg and their children Lauren, Cambrie(Cami) and Savannah of Burleson, TX. Granddaughters Ashlee Kepple and Lindzee Kepple, 2 great-grandchildren and many lifelong friends and family members.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Joshua FUMC Food Pantry.

Visitation

Tuesday, December 8, 2020 5:00-7:00 pm

Mountain Valley Funeral Home

3407 SW Wilshire Blvd. Joshua, TX 76058

Graveside Service

Laurel Land Cemetery

Wednesday, December 9, 2020 2:00 pm

7100 Crowley Rd. Ft. Worth, TX 76134

The family ask that everyone wear a mask and practice social distancing.  The family respects everyone’s decision on whether to attend or not to attend one of these occasions and plans to hold a Celebration of Life at a later date.