Willard Warren Lepper

Bill was born and raised in Hawley, Minnesota. The youngest of seven children born to German immigrants Carl and Emily Lepper, he grew up on the family farm and graduated from Hawley High School. Bill enlisted in the Navy during war time and after receiving his pilot training in San Diego, California, was sent to the Naval Air Station in Seattle, Washington, commencing a lifelong love of the Pacific Northwest.

Bill was later stationed aboard the USS Delta and sailed as far as Shanghai, China. Bill received an honorable discharge from the Navy in 1946 and made his way from Seattle to Portland, Oregon. It was there that he met and married Dorothy Jean Washburn. They were married for 44 years until her passing in 1993.

After spending a brief time working in the Portland shipyards, Bill became a union floorcovering installation apprentice and earned his journeyman classification. He left the union and, with a partner, started his first company called Fashion Floorcraft in 1952. It became one of Oregon’s leading subcontract flooring installation firms with clients such as Meier & Frank, Sears, and JC Penney. In 1963 Bill opened his first retail carpet store, Crown Carpets, in Gresham Oregon. Later he purchased a second Crown retail location, Crown-Kindsfather in Portland, as well as opening a commercial flooring division, Crown Commercial Sales. He also oversaw the 1994 opening of a third retail location in Tigard, Oregon.

Bill was a devoted family man who loved and encouraged his children and grandchildren, and also cherished his time with friends and coworkers. He was an avid outdoorsman and enjoyed boating, clam digging, fishing and hunting. Bill and Dorothy spent many summers fishing at Salmon Point on Vancouver Island, Canada and later at their vacation home on the Puget Sound in Port Ludlow, Washington. They also enjoyed motorhome travel, Caribbean cruises and trips to Mexico, Italy and Spain.

He was affiliated with and a lifetime member of the Gresham Oregon Elks. Bill is survived by his son Doug Lepper, daughters Debbie Lepper and Mary Kempenich (David), his grandchildren Ben, Jordan, Sari, Sean and Shane, and many nieces and nephews.

Bill will be laid to rest at Willamette National Cemetery with his loving wife Dorothy. A memorial service to honor his life and entrepreneurial spirit will be held at 2:00 pm Wednesday, May 6, 2015 at the Gateway Little Chapel of the Chimes, 1515 NE 106th Avenue in Portland, Oregon.

In lieu of flowers, please make any donations to the Elks National Foundation.

http://www.elks.org/ENF/GivingMethods.cfm