Hepe

Edward Hepe, 87, of Concordia at the Orchard, formerly of Bartley Avenue, Butler, passed away Friday evening at Butler Memorial Hospital.

Born in Bellaire, Ohio on Jan. 15, 1923, he was the son of the late Edward Hepe and Dorothy Miller Hepe.

He excelled at three sports at Ohio's Bellaire High School, where he earned eight letters in football, baseball and track. Ed won four individual events at an Ohio District Meet in 1942, a feat that has not been equaled.

Ed was a combat-decorated World War II veteran.

After his military service, he entered Slippery Rock State College as a 29-year-old freshman, married with two young daughters.

As a football player, he set two single game records for Slippery Rock, a 90-yard touchdown return and 142 yards in punt returns. Playing sports and working a full-time job on the 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. shift at a strip mine, he earned his undergraduate degree in three years.

His reputation as a basketball official led to his first coaching job at McDonald High School in 1955, where he guided his team to a 99-22 record. In 1959, McDonald became part of the Fort Cherry High School merger and he became the school's basketball coach. He led his team to six consecutive section titles and was named Coach of the Year each of those seasons. His teams also won 65 consecutive Class B League Games.

The highlight of his coaching career came in 1961 when Fort Cherry won the WPIAL and PIAA Class B Basketball Championships, the first high school in Washington County to win a PIAA Basketball Championship.

Ed also was the first basketball coach in Washington County to be named Class B WPIAL and PIAA Coach of the Year.

Ed's high school coaching career ended at Butler High School where he won several section titles. His overall record was 223-83 for a winning percentage of .729.

As athletic director at Butler, he was instrumental in developing the Butler Track Invitational, building it from three to four teams to 25 to 35 teams. It has become one of the most prestigious track events in Western Pennsylvania.

Ed was inducted into the Butler Sports Hall of Fame in 1985, the Slippery Rock University Sports Hall of Fame in 1987, and to the Washington County Sports Hall of Fame in 2003.

He married Mary Lape Hepe on June 12, 1942. She preceded him in death on Nov. 25,1998.

He is survived by two daughters, Mrs. Warren (Carolyn) Hendrix of Champagne, Ill., and Mrs. John (Nancy) Daller of Murrysville; five grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; a brother, Jack Hepe of Burlingame, Calif.; and several nieces and nephews.

In addition to his wife, he was preceded in death by three brothers.

<B>HEPE —</B> Friends and family of Edward Hepe, who died Friday, July 2, 2010, will be received from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at the <B>THOMPSON-MILLER FUNERAL HOME,</B> 124 E. North St., Butler. Funeral services will be at the funeral home at 1 p.m. Wednesday. Burial will follow in Greenlawn Burial Estates, Mt. Chestnut.