Gary Shoepe, 80, a family man, business owner, and outdoorsman, passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on October 20th, while returning from another successful hunting adventure in Wyoming. Known by all as a prodigious storyteller with a keen memory, his peaceful and quick passing fittingly interrupted his telling another of his renown stories – seemingly as if he were aptly saving the punchline for a new and different audience. Our family is comforted by his pain-free passing amidst a time he was doing what he loved the most.
Victor Gary Shoepe was born in Portland on April 20th, 1943 to Vernon Joseph Shoepe, a welder for McCulloch and Sons in NW Portland, and Irene Wilda Bailey Shoepe, a devoted homemaker. Raised in Multnomah, he was an alumnus of the first 4-year class of Wilson High School. He enlisted in the United States Air Force and was stationed in Germany as a missile mechanic in the height of the Cold War. Honorably discharged in 1966, he returned home and looked up Alvin “Nick” Nicholson, a military buddy that he befriended in Germany and was living nearby. Shortly thereafter, he was introduced to Nick’s sister Judy, a teacher, and not long after, they were married on June 15th, 1968. Over the course of the ensuing 55 years, they raised three sons and five grandchildren.
He began the professional portion of his life working at Chloride Battery in Beaverton, learning the trade of manufacturing lead-acid batteries. After working his way up through the company, from the floor to the office, he was given the opportunity to operate a struggling small battery distribution company. Upon making Empire Batteries Inc. profitable in 1971, he obtained ownership and continued to grow the business until his retirement in 2005. To this day, the company remains a family-owned and successful business in Tigard, Oregon.
He will be known for his principles, work-ethic, generosity, and welding artistry. He was passionate about family, historic cars, hunting, fishing, competitive shooting, road trips, crossword puzzles, and true-crime novels. He reveled in the joy brought to others through his innovative Halloween costumes, handcrafted trophies and mock-awards, practical jokes unleashed upon fellow campers, and innumerable media clippings he edited into personal jokes with the assistance of White-Out and a photocopier. He was a proud, official member of the Oregon Hunters Association, Columbia River Regional Group Old Ford V8 Club, National Rifle Association, Tri-County Gun Club, Winchester Arms Collectors Association, TAC Missileers, numerous casino player’s clubs, and an unofficial member of the Freddy Fender Fan Club.
He is preceded in death by his parents Vernon Joseph Shoepe, Irene Wilda Bailey Shoepe and his brother Michael Joseph Shoepe. He is survived by his wife Judy Annette Shoepe; children, Timothy Shoepe (Karen McKillip), Ted (Tina) Shoepe, and Todd (Hawley) Shoepe; grandchildren: Elizabeth Shoepe, Ryan Shoepe, Emily Shoepe, Nicolas “Cole” Shoepe, Heath Shoepe; step-grandchildren Megan Tuck and Lance Tuck; and his sister Sally Shoepe Wise.
Remembrances in the form of donations can be made to Oregon Hunter’s Association, PO Box 1706, Medford OR or online at https://oregonhunters.org/donate.
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