Richard "Dick" C. Hepworth

Richard C. Hepworth, P.E “Dick” was born June 2, 1930, in Topeka, Kansas to Martha Howe (Cundiff) and Llewllyn Glenn Hepworth, he passed away September 24, 2023, at the age of 93. Most of Dick’s youth was spent in Tulsa, Oklahoma with his mother and brother, the late Robert Eugene Hepworth. Trips and periodic school years were spent in Iowa or Nebraska with his father. When Dick entered high school, he became extremely interested in the subjects of geometry, chemistry, physics and aeronautics. He graduated from high school in Tulsa, Oklahoma and entered Rice University. In 1952, he joined the Air Force and was a pilot in the 86th Bomb Squadron in England. He spent a few years in the active reserves and obtained the rank of Major. He completed his schooling at the University of Colorado, graduating with a BA degree in Geology in 1959. After a year as a physical oceanographer for the Navy in Washington, D.C., Dick attended the University of Utah, graduating with an MS degree in Geological and Civil Engineering in 1963. From 1960 to 1965, he worked for the Utah Highway Department, and became the head of the foundations department. In 1965, he moved to Denver as a senior project engineer with WoodwardClyde-Sherard & Associates. From 1967 to 1969 he worked for Leeds Hill in Bangladesh as the senior design engineer for a large coastal embankment project. Dick joined Chen & Associates in 1969 and rose to president of the firm in 1984, a position he held until 1988, when the firm was sold. From 1989 to 1993 he freelanced. Dick was a founding partner of Hepworth-Pawlak Geotechnical, Inc. (H-P Geotech) a firm founded in 1993, providing a comprehensive range of geotechnical and geological services as well as construction quality control and laboratory services, with offices in Parker, Glenwood Springs, Silverthorne and Colorado Springs. H-P Geotech was sold to Kumar & Associates in 2016, with Dick retiring at the age of 89 in 2019. Dick was a master of his trade as a geotechnical engineer, in an engineering career that spanned 60 years, during which time he served as an officer in many engineering organizations in Colorado and received many prestigious awards such as ACEC/CO George Washington Award, CECC Orley O. Phillips Award and ACEC National Fellow Award for outstanding contributions to the engineering profession, as well as many recognitions for his contributions and service to ACEC Colorado, UCD Engineering Advisory Council, ASCE, PEC and CAGE to name a few. He is acknowledged for his contribution to the engineering industry and for his unselfish giving back to the community and our country. As a principal and officer in two major engineering companies, he has employed and mentored many young engineers who have gone on to achieve prominence on their own. He enjoyed talking to young students on career days, encouraging them to enter the engineering fields. He helped educate our future workforce through involvement on the advisory boards of Colorado engineering schools and encouraged young engineers to join engineering organizations and give back to their communities. Dick and Virginia (Ginny) Anderson-Hepworth were married in 1989; they were inseparable, working together at H-P Geotech, the majority of their vacations were spent traveling the world; going on exciting adventures, such as traveling in Greece, visiting the islands and ruins; flying to Belize in Dick’s Cessna 210 to enjoy a week of scuba diving; touring the Golden Triangle and riding elephants in Thailand; crossing India on trains and in cabs; trekking in Nepal; visiting pyramid’s and riding camels in Egypt; crossing Sinai desert in jeeps; scuba diving in Red Sea; climbing trails in Machu Picchu, Peru; crossing Tibet in jeeps and trekking to Mt Everest Base Camp; visiting the Cambodia ruins; viewing Africa wildlife, with Dick bungy jumping off bridge at Victoria Falls; cruising the Yangtze River in China, walking the great wall and visiting the Terra-Cotta Army Museum; to name a few; with many photos and souvenirs providing everlasting memories. Dick also loved his flying, be it a Glider or his Cessna; in 2010 Dick and Ginny flew in Dick’s Cessna, landing in areas throughout Montana and Idaho, where Dick had worked as a smokejumper during the summers while attending college at Rice. Dick loved spending time with his family, reading non-fiction (especially WWII era) and riding his Gold Wing. He had a wicked sense of humor and wit, was a wealth of knowledge in so many facets, he was always thinking of others, had a special relationship with and supported the Colorado Tibetan Community, he loved country music and sweets – you can still hear him singing loudly to Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire”. Dick is survived by his loving and incredibly caring wife (Ginny) of 34 years, five daughters Alex (husband Robert) Smith, Adrienne (husband Scott) Weisenberger, Ashley (husband Greg) Scheinfeld, Jennifer Varnak and Mandi Hepworth; 14 grandchildren: Kaitlin, James (wife Coley), Hadley (wife Kristen), Mitchell, Kevin (wife Liz), Jack, Morgan, Wilder, Sloane, Aiden, Kiera, Maelle, Torin and Miles and two great grandchildren: Oliver, Peri. A celebration of Life for Dick Hepworth will be held on Saturday October 28, 2023, between 11:00 A.M. and 2:00 P.M., at The Deep Space Event Center, 11020 South Pikes Peak Drive, #50, Parker, Colorado 80134. To honor Dick’s legacy and life, in lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Parker Food Bank: https://parkertaskforce.org/WP/donate/ Rocky Mountain PBS Public Television, Channel 6: https://www.rmpbs.org/support/memorial-tribute-gifts/ (click on: Make your memorial or tribute gift or a charity of your choice.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Richard "Dick" C. Hepworth, please visit our floral store.