Charles Robert Tepe

Charles Robert Tepe, better known to his friends as Charlie, of Citrus Springs, died Sunday, September 29, 2019 at the Sturgill Hospice House in Brooksville. He was 77. Charlie was born on August 14, 1942 in Cincinnati, Ohio, and moved to Muncie, Indiana in 1957, where he attended Muncie Central High School, graduating in 1961. Charlie worked for a time in his uncle’s Rite Way shoe shop, then at Parkview Market, National Tea, and Standard Grocery. While he was working for Standard Grocery, Charlie joined the Army National Guard, where he served in the 501st Airborne Infantry Regiment, and attended jump school in Fort Benning, Georgia; jungle warfare school in Panama; and winter warfare school at Fort Greely, Alaska. In 1967, Charlie purchased a Pepperidge Farm franchise, eventually moving his business to Colorado, where he resided in Boulder, Arvada, and Louisville before retiring to Citrus Springs, Florida in 2002. During his retirement, Charlie was an active member of his community, serving in the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office Public Service Officer (PSO) Program since 2006. He was elected Secretary of the Citrus Springs Civic Association, served as Coordinator of the Citrus Springs Surveillance Unit, and was a member of the Citizens’ Academy Alumni Association, the Florida Sheriffs Association, and the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). He is survived by his daughter, Kara, and son-in-law, James Henry, of Frederick, Colorado; his daughter, Tina Burns of Bradenton, Florida; his son, Steven, and daughter-in-law Jill-Marie Tepe, of Fort Collins, Colorado; his grandchildren, JP Henry, Khail Henry, Skylar Henry, Morgan Burns, Teri Rivera, Mathew Whyte, Gray Razo, Joseph Tepe, and Christopher Tepe; his great grandson, Dillon Rivera; and many close friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, Joseph Tepe, Jr. and Lorena Stith; his brother, Richard Joseph Tepe; his grandmother, Maggie Jane Stith; and his beloved Aunt Flora Mae Hudson. A celebration of life service is being planned at the Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, Florida. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Citrus Springs Crime Watch, an organization that was dear to Charlie.