Eva Kepics Obituary

Eva Mae "Evelyn" "Evie" (Supansic) Kepics Age 94, formerly of Leechburg, passed away peacefully in the early morning hours on Wednesday, September 6, 2023. She was surrounded by and was in the care of angels at the Family Hospice Facility of Canterbury Place in Lawrenceville . Her life began in the evening of January 26, 1929 during a ferocious snowstorm at the farm of her paternal grandparents in Export, Pennsylvania. She proudly recounted the circumstances of her birth to us many times throughout the year. The local country doctor who drove his horse and buggy to the farm for her delivery was forced to spend the night because the snow had accumulated so deeply and because the doctor and her father had 'celebrated' her birth so exuberantly during the late hours that evening. Thus was born the first of the four children of the late 'Jim' Earnest Edwin and Eva Marie (Susa) Supansic. Evie's early life was forged during the challenging economic time of our country's depression, but fortunately she was immersed in the sylvan countryside of Pennsylvania's woodlands where she was serenaded by bird songs in the spring, and where she picked berries for her mother to make pies to feed the family in the summer and picked nuts in the fall to help feed their family. Come winter, she and her three siblings spent glorious hours skating on the nearby creek thus growing up with a deep connection to and appreciation of nature which she retained throughout her life. She was very fortunate that she was born into a family that taught her the golden rule from the very beginning; treating others as she wished to be treated. This ethos served as her north star throughout her life; because of it, she made friends wherever she and her husband lived. She met her husband, Julius "Nick" Kepics in 1947 at Highfield Baseball Park and it was love at first sight. They married in 1948 and thus began their married life as a prototypical western Pennsylvania couple; he worked in the local steel mill and she stayed home raising their small family. But ever since quitting high school in 1944 to serve in the U. S. Navy during WWII, Nick knew he could not spend his life working as a steelworker. They decided he would re-enlist in the Navy, and thus Evie began her long career as a military wife. This demanded that she function as a single parent for long stretches of time when her husband was in the Mediterranean for 6 or 9 months or in Vietnam for an entire year. For more than 30 years, she packed up the family's life every two years when the Navy transferred the family to a new duty station. Even when the family vehicle temporarily served as home while traveling from one duty station to the next, she ensured that her two children, Nicky and Karel always felt a sense of home-created not by the place, but by the love for each other as a family. Evie also made the most of this demanding military life by taking joy with the passing of each season. She loved to decorate her home with flowers: if you were to visit her, there was never any mistake about what season it was. The family home was always adorned inside with seasonal flowers and outside with a new wreath to herald the beginning of a new season. She also took great joy dressing up with Nick each Halloween and playing Mr. and Mrs. Santa for their four grandchildren and for the residents of Schenley. Her love of the natural world was profound. Gardening and feeding her local birds and rabbits was a passion and "her" crows visited her daily looking for any offerings of scraps or leftovers. One of her greatest joys was helping to rear her four grandchildren who benefited from her teaching them to appreciate the natural world and the simple pleasures of life: gathering stones to paint or skipping them on the Allegheny river, riding bikes, washing dishes together, and taking glorious summer walks to point out the smallest of details like a beautiful insect or flower. She will be profoundly missed because of the indelible impact she had on her children, their children, and their spouses. She is survived by her beloved husband of 75 years, Julius "Nick" Kepics; loving mother of Nicholas Andrew Kepics (Suzie) and Karel Ulizio (Anthony); cherished grandmother of Christopher Alyott Kepics (Jennifer), Michael Anthony Ulizio (Mallory), Sarah Louise Ulizio (Christopher) and Anne Elizabeth Ulizio (Matthew O'Donnell); great grandson Cade Anthony Ulizio; sister of Helen Walker and Ellen Stokes; sister-in-law of Irene Supansic. She was preceded in death by her parents and brother Earnest E. Supansic. A Celebration of her life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully suggests memorial contributions to the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania, 614 Dorseyville Road, Pittsburgh PA 15238. Arrangements by Weddell-Ajak Funeral Home, Aspinwall.