Erwin "Pep" Pepmeier
June 6, 1932 - September 16, 2025
Country & Town will be having a memorial service for Erwin "Pep" Pepmeier on Saturday, October 18 at 2:00 p.m. in the Worship Center. The service will also be livestreamed for those unable to attend.
Erwin Herman Pepmeier, Jr.—better known as “Pep”—passed away at home at the age of 93, holding the hand of Margaret, his wife of 72 years. Born on June 6, 1932, in Aylett, VA to Gladys (Dyson) and Erwin H. Pepmeier, Sr., Pep's long life was rooted in faith, service, and devotion to his family.
Pep was a graduate of Highland Springs High School in Henrico County, VA, where he earned the nickname “Red Hot Pepper” on the football field, and went on to major in occupational therapy at the former Medical College of Virginia (now VCU). In 1953, Pep married the love of his life, Margaret. Shortly thereafter, he was drafted and served in the U.S. Army during the Korean conflict as an occupational therapist (OT), tending to those injured during the war. Upon his return, he furthered his education with a master’s in occupational therapy.
Pep and Margaret’s daughter Cheryl was born in Richmond in 1957 prior to the family moving to Newport News, where their second daughter Jan was born in 1960. In 1963, the family moved to Maryland, where their third daughter Joy was born in 1965. They remained in Randallstown, MD for 32 years.
Faith was a cornerstone of Pep’s life, serving in nearly every capacity within the churches he and Margaret attended—both Colonial Baptist in Randallstown, MD, and more recently, Country & Town Baptist Church in Mechanicsburg, PA. He especially loved teaching Sunday School to young and old alike.
At home, Pep was a devoted and loving father who could fix, build, or create anything. Home improvement projects were ever-present. As an OT, he excelled at many crafts, including weaving, macrame, and knitting, and enjoyed teaching his girls how to sew and to make things with their own hands. Pep and Margaret were avid gardeners and enjoyed sharing their bounty with neighbors and friends.
A faithful husband, proud father, joyful grandfather and great-grandfather, and respected teacher and friend, Pep was a wonderful role model. His positivity will continue to live on through the many lives he touched.
Surviving Pep is his wife of 72 years, Margaret (Simons) Pepmeier; daughters, Cheryl P. Duvall (Dudley Whitney) of Annapolis, MD, and Joy P. Cleveland (Ross Cleveland, Jr.) of Mechanicsburg; grandchildren, Philippe Duvall (Jessi), Jean-Luc Duvall (Karen), Sarah Allender (Nick), Benjamin Stewart, Ross Cleveland III (Erin), and Bryce Cleveland (Darby); and great-grandchildren, Quorra Josephine Duvall, Pepper Quinn Duvall, Samantha Mae Ramos, Gabriel Alexander Galpin, Henry Ryan Allender, Hazel Elizabeth Allender, Calvin Redd Cleveland and Conrad John Cleveland. In addition to his parents, Pep was preceded in death by a daughter, Jan Leigh Stewart; son-in-law, John Walter Duvall; and sister, Wilhelmina “Billie” Summers.
Pep was a graduate of Highland Springs High School in Henrico County, VA, where he earned the nickname “Red Hot Pepper” on the football field, and went on to major in occupational therapy at the former Medical College of Virginia (now VCU). In 1953, Pep married the love of his life, Margaret. Shortly thereafter, he was drafted and served in the U.S. Army during the Korean conflict as an occupational therapist (OT), tending to those injured during the war. Upon his return, he furthered his education with a master’s in occupational therapy.
Pep and Margaret’s daughter Cheryl was born in Richmond in 1957 prior to the family moving to Newport News, where their second daughter Jan was born in 1960. In 1963, the family moved to Maryland, where their third daughter Joy was born in 1965. They remained in Randallstown, MD for 32 years.
Faith was a cornerstone of Pep’s life, serving in nearly every capacity within the churches he and Margaret attended—both Colonial Baptist in Randallstown, MD, and more recently, Country & Town Baptist Church in Mechanicsburg, PA. He especially loved teaching Sunday School to young and old alike.
At home, Pep was a devoted and loving father who could fix, build, or create anything. Home improvement projects were ever-present. As an OT, he excelled at many crafts, including weaving, macrame, and knitting, and enjoyed teaching his girls how to sew and to make things with their own hands. Pep and Margaret were avid gardeners and enjoyed sharing their bounty with neighbors and friends.
A faithful husband, proud father, joyful grandfather and great-grandfather, and respected teacher and friend, Pep was a wonderful role model. His positivity will continue to live on through the many lives he touched.
Surviving Pep is his wife of 72 years, Margaret (Simons) Pepmeier; daughters, Cheryl P. Duvall (Dudley Whitney) of Annapolis, MD, and Joy P. Cleveland (Ross Cleveland, Jr.) of Mechanicsburg; grandchildren, Philippe Duvall (Jessi), Jean-Luc Duvall (Karen), Sarah Allender (Nick), Benjamin Stewart, Ross Cleveland III (Erin), and Bryce Cleveland (Darby); and great-grandchildren, Quorra Josephine Duvall, Pepper Quinn Duvall, Samantha Mae Ramos, Gabriel Alexander Galpin, Henry Ryan Allender, Hazel Elizabeth Allender, Calvin Redd Cleveland and Conrad John Cleveland. In addition to his parents, Pep was preceded in death by a daughter, Jan Leigh Stewart; son-in-law, John Walter Duvall; and sister, Wilhelmina “Billie” Summers.