William Joseph Doepkens

Bill was born on January 10, 1957 to William P. and Marjorie J. Doepkens (né Desmarais). After graduating from Southern High School in 1975 where he was in the Future Farmers of America, he became a third-generation farmer on the 100-year-old diversified crop and livestock/tobacco family farm. After his father’s death in 2000, Bill continued the family tradition of devoted stewardship of the land, raising small grains, hay, cattle, laying chickens, flowers, mums, and pumpkins. In addition, he developed an on-farm store for his products and a floral-design event business. He held a deep appreciation for and an understanding of the beauty of nature.

Bill had many interests outside of farming, enjoying domestic and international travel, photography, and especially musical pursuits. In the early ‘90s he joined the choir of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Annapolis in addition to cantoring and singing at weddings and funerals. He also sang in the Dignity Church choir and became a chorister in the Annapolis Chorale and the Annapolis Chamber Choir. Still later, he became a tenor with the Washington Oratorio Society which became the Washington Chorus. When the City Choir of Washington was born, he began a new chapter in his singing career. In 2008 he became the alternate section leader for the T1s and served as vice president of the choir for two years before he became president in 2014 and served in that role for several years. One of the principals that guided his musical pursuits as well as his life is from Maya Angelou: “Let nothing dim the light that shines from within.”

Bill was predeceased by his parents, William P. and Marjorie J. Doepkens. He is survived by four siblings: Jean Wright of Richmond, VA; Marjorie (David) Salyers of Annapolis; Frederick Doepkens of Stewartstown, PA; and Elizabeth (Jon) Yuan of Odenton. He is also survived by five nieces: Katie Salyers, Christina Salyers, Sarah Jean (Matt) Mittura, Anna Wright and Alyssa Yuan; a nephew Andrew Yuan; and a grand- nephew Jackson Salyers. In addition, he is survived by numerous cousins.

A Visitation will be at Taylor M. Funeral Home in Annapolis on Friday, November 15, 2024 from 4 to 7 pm. A funeral mass will be held at 9 am on Saturday, November 16, 2024 in Saint Mary’s Catholic Church 109 Duke of Gloucester Street Annapolis, Maryland 21401 (for those that wish to join the funeral mass by live stream please see https://www.stmarysannapolis.org/stay-informed/live-stream-masses). Interment will follow at Saint Mary’s Cemetery in Annapolis.

Did you know …that T1 Bill Doepkens is a genuine working farmer? He comes from a long line of farmers, many of whom were also musical. His grandfather Doepkens sang in boys’ choirs in Germany before immigrating to Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1890. In 1906, he bought a farm in Davidsonville, Maryland that was part of a much larger tract known as Maureen Duvall’s Middle Plantation of South River Hundred, established circa 1664. He later passed down the farm to Bill’s father, William P. Doepkens, who eventually bequeathed it to Bill, who now raises hay, grain, cattle, laying chickens, and flowers (which replaced tobacco) on the farm’s 210 acres. Over the past 25 years Bill has developed an on-farm store for his products and a floral-design event business.

Farming and music have always been part of Bill’s life.

“I started learning farm work and a work ethic from my father when I was very young, but I also learned about music from him, since he loved playing the piano,” said Bill.

“This kept me interested in music, even though I never mastered the piano. From the time I went on a class trip to the symphony at age 10, I have aspired to be on the other side of the conductor, being a part of making music. I sang in choirs in school as well as attempting clarinet for four years. In my 20s and 30s, I focused on farm work when I wasn’t traveling to far-away places like New Zealand and photographing nature (my other passion). I often spent a good part of those days on the tractor, working and singing. My neighbors told me that they knew when I was out in the fields because they could hear my dulcet tones over the sound of the tractor.”

“In the early ‘90s I joined the choir of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Annapolis, and later became a chorister in the Annapolis Chorale and the Annapolis Chamber Choir. Well, I couldn’t get enough, so I took voice lessons for four years at Peabody Preparatory as well, plus doing church cantoring and singing at weddings and funerals. I have to say, I enjoy singing at funerals more, since they often evoke inspiring outpourings of love and help me learn how other persons—the deceased—lived their lives. I believe that helps put one’s own life in a better perspective.”

“A turning point in my singing life—and my life in general—happened in the early 1990s. I was a member of the Dignity Church Choir, where I met Hutch [T1 James Hutchinson, Jr.]. I told him I was looking for a really high-caliber chorus to sing with. His response was, ‘Check out my group, the Washington Oratorio Society with Robert Shafer.’ I did that by attending their next concert and was totally blown away. I immediately auditioned and became a member in time to sing Beethoven’s Ninth at Constitution Hall. When the music swelled and the choir entered in the fourth movement, I was in heaven, especially with my German background. To this day, when Bob Shafer raises his baton to begin a concert, I feel the same elation.”

“The rest is history. I knew I had found the director I wanted to sing for. With increasing responsibilities working on the farm and taking care of my parents, I chose to simplify my life and continue singing in the one chorus that was making me really happy, which by then had changed its name to the Washington Chorus. I also was doing the flowers for that chorus’s big galas and developing a whole new circle of friends whom I still know and love today, since most of them followed Bob after the Dark Fall of 1996 happened. That was not long after my mom had died in the spring, which brought to a close that generation at the farm. My whole world was dark and in flux. But then City Choir was born, and the light of a new chapter of my choral singing started brightening my life.”

“No matter what or where we sing with Bob, I am always inspired by some aspect of it. It speaks to my soul. I love the intensity of Bob’s rehearsals, and because I always go into a concert feeling confident that I know the music and am vocally prepared, I am able to enjoy the whole experience and be part of creating that amazing City Choir sound that speaks to everyone. I would have trouble singling out one major work I have sung with Bob that I love the most, since I treasure each performance. But it was awesome when we did the Berlioz Requiem at the Kennedy Center as the Washington Chorus. I think Handel’s Solomon is a close second, the year we sang it to debut City Choir.”

Bill has contributed much more than his voice to City Choir. He was the chorus vice president for two years before he became president in 2014, a position he still holds. He has been the alternate section leader for the T1s since 2008. He also creates stunning flower arrangements for City Choir events, the most recent being the End-of-Year Celebration last May. And he generously shares his farm as a setting for the annual chorus picnic, and cooks delicious hamburgers during that event that are made from beef grown on his farm.

Bill shared with Singer News & Notes three of the principles that guide his life. “These are ideals that I try to remember as I go about my work at the farm, my interactions with people, my singing and other non-farm activities, and my social life. They help keep me centered and augment my solid farm roots. Here is the first one: Always strive for excellence and what is right and just. Seek it out in everything you do and what you are a part of, and you will never let yourself down. By this, you know at the end of the day in your heart that you have done the best you can do. This principle is akin to Bob’s statement that mediocrity is not OK.”

“The next one came to me via a fortune cookie years ago when I was having difficulty with things. It is something that keeps me on track when I want to procrastinate. Action is the proper fruit of knowledge.”

“The last one is a quote is from Maya Angelou. I try to remember this when I interact with people and life in general. Let nothing dim the light that shines from within.”