Wayne Wesley Hepler, age 87, passed away in Cleveland, Tennessee on Monday, July 8, 2013 after surviving Pancreatic cancer but losing his fight to overcome Leukemia.

Wayne was born on December 5, 1925 in New Kensington, Pennsylvania to Wayne and Belva Hepler. After the untimely death of his father, Wayne entered the Hershey Industrial School in 1936. While living at the school, his houseparents were Mr. and Mrs. Harry Engle, whom he credited for their positive influence on his life. While at the school, Wayne devoted a lot of time to football, baseball, intramural basketball, and boxing. He also attained the rank of Eagle Scout.

Wayne served in the U.S. Army Air Corps as an aviation cadet. During this time he played service football and baseball which resulted in a scholarship to play football for Alabama Polytechnic Institute (now Auburn University). Wayne graduated from Auburn in 1948 with a BS degree in Mechanical Engineering. Upon graduation he was employed by Pittsburgh Plate Glass in the Special Products Division. In 1956 he joined Boeing as a design engineer and was assigned to a design group in Florida where he participated in eight Apollo launches at the Kennedy Space Center, including the Lunar Module landing on the moon on July 20, 1969. In 1973, Wayne moved to Renton, Washington and was assigned to the Boeing Marine Systems and remained in this assignment until his retirement in 1987. His final position at Boeing was Program Manager of the Jetfoil Program.

One of Wayne’s proudest personal accomplishments was building his own 30 foot trimaran, the War Eagle, and sailing with his family across the Gulf of Mexico in 1966 and to the Bahamas in 1968. In 1999, Wayne was named the Milton Hershey School Alumnus of the Year for bringing great honor to his alma mater by dedicating his professional talents to the bettermend of humankind.

While attending Auburn, Wayne met his future wife, Mavis Hillyer. They were married on August 28, 1948. During their 62 years of marriage, Wayne and Mavis enjoyed traveling throughout the country in their motorhome with their beloved bulldogs, Sam and Aggie, playing golf together, and visiting family and friends. After Wayne’s retirement, they moved to Surprise, Arizona. Mavis passed away on December 7, 2010 after a long struggle with dementia. During her illness, Wayne remained a devoted husband and caregiver to her.

Wayne is survived by a son, Wayne W. Hepler, Jr. and his wife Nancy of Cumming, Georgia; a daughter, Debra H. Sesler and her husband Jan of Benton, Tennessee; a son, Bowden C. Hepler and his wife Gayle of Vancouver, Washington; six grandchildren (Jennifer, Josh, Crystal, Wes, Rosie and Katie); eight great-grandchildren (Grace, Henry, Lyla, Jacob, Davis, Charlotte, Landon, and Schae); a brother Harry (Skip) Helper and his wife Margie of Lower Burrell, Pennsyvania; a sister, Kathy H. Morgan and her husband Bud of Keller, Texas, and several nieces, nephews, and cousins. He was preceded in death by his mother, Belve, his step-father, John Booth, and a grandons, Bowden C. Hepler, Jr.

Wayne and Mavis’ children and their families are planning to celebrate their lives and spread their ashes at the gates of Auburn University at a later date.