Obituary of William F. Pepper

William Francis Pepper, age 89, of Edina died on May 17, 2015 at the Minnesota Veterans Home following a long journey with Alzheimer's Disease. Survived by his wife of 61 years, Joan; children Tom, Ann and Steve; granddaughters Laura (Jared), Lindsay and Shannon; brothers-in-law Tom and Owen Jordet; nieces and nephews. Bill's sport was basketball. He played at Annunciation, Washburn High School, the U of MN and at Great Lakes while serving in the Navy. Bill had a wide range of interests. He enjoyed woodworking, painting, coin collecting, gin rummy, and tinkering at the cabin on Antler Lake. As a sports enthusiast and trivia expert, he authored the sports section of the original Minnesota Almanac. As a young boy, he won many speed-skating medals. You could find him on the ski slopes in the winter. A near-scratch golfer, his never-ending quest for that elusive hole-in-one went unfulfilled, though he came close so many times! Bill loved to plan and organize. He enjoyed nothing more than getting out his road atlas to plan the next long family road trip. He was a supportive fan of his children and grandchildren in all of their pursuits. Bill began his work career at the cannery in Montgomery, where he got so strong he could tear a Minneapolis phone book in half. Later, Bill was a regional manager for a finance company, a registered lobbyist, and a municipal bond broker. He was a past member of the M Club, Edina Country Club and the Edina Travelers. Bill was a proud Irishman. A special thank you to the staff at the Veterans Home for the wonderful care they gave Bill for the past 6 years, especially his caregiver Tony. Private family memorial service. Interment at Ft. Snelling National Cemetery.