Joseph R. ""Peppi Gutierrez

Joseph R. “Peppi” Gutierrez died Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2011, in Scottsbluff. A Memorial Service will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 6, at St. Francis Episcopal Church in Scottsbluff. Memorials can be sent to St. Francis Episcopal Church. Peppi was born May 16, 1936, in Lugo, Spain to Jose Ramon and Dora Valdez Gutierrez. He had two younger brothers, Jesus and Julio. Following the Spanish Civil War, around 1940, due to political unrest, the Gutierrez family moved to Havana, Cuba. Where Peppi’s father died in a construction accident. Peppi attended schools in Havana, culminating in receiving a degree in agriculture. He was very active in baseball and played the position of a catcher. In 1959 Fidel Castro came into power and once again Peppi's life was affected by political unrest. He left Cuba in 1964 and returned to Spain. He stayed in Spain about a year when some Cuban friends who had gone to New York offered to sponsor him. He became a naturalized Citizen in 1970. In 1966, Peppi was living on the upper west side of Manhattan. There on a league bowling team he met Richard Schaneman, a photographer. Richard introduced Peppi to his boss, a fashion photographer who was seeking someone to train as his assistant. Peppi became a still life photographer and worked in three major studios in New York City for almost 30 years. During those years, Peppi spent all of his vacation time traveling, photographing, enjoying and learning as much as possible about his beloved Spain. When Richard retired in 1993, he moved back to his roots in the Nebraska Panhandle. Peppi came to visit later and decided to stay, and had lived in Scottsbluff for the past 18 years. He worked in several businesses in Scottsbluff and acquired many friends. Preceding Peppi in death were his parents and brothers.