The Life of Richard Gustav Zepernick
A Memorial Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Tuesday, March 13, 2012 at 12:00 pm at St. Patrick Church for Richard Gustav Zepernick, MD, 82, who passed away on March 10, 2012 at Lafayette General Medical Center after a brief struggle with viral encephalitis.
Burial will take place in Holy Mary Mother of God Cemetery.
Dr. Zepernick, a resident of Lafayette, LA, was the son of the late Gustav Zepernick and the former Magdalena Hemmerich both of Germany. A retired Anesthesiologist, Dr. Zepernick was deeply respected by his peers for his contributions to the medical community and was beloved by colleagues, friends, and employees throughout the area for his compassion, his expertise in the field of medicine, his wit, and his friendly nature and unconditional love of people from all walks of life. He grew up in Pennsylvania where he attended Wyomissing Hills primary school, Moravian College (1950), U.S. Naval School, Officer Candidate Training in Newport, Rhode Island, (1952), Naval officer in the Korean War (1952-1954)and Tulane Medical School in New Orleans, LA. (1960). He completed medical school residencies at Southern Baptist and Charity Hospital of Louisiana at New Orleans. He was in private practice in New Orleans and was president of numerous anesthesia groups serving Mercy, Jo Ellen Smith, Chalmette, and Meadowcrest Hospitals (1966-2005). Dr. Zepernick was a Diplomat of the American Board of Anesthesiology and a Fellow of the American College of Anesthesiologists. Professional Membership and Societies include the American Society of Anesthesiologists, Southern Society of Anesthesiologists, Southern Medical Association, Louisiana Society of Anesthesiologists, the Academy of Anesthesiology, Board of Directors of LAMMICO (1991-2005), and a Volunteer for Hospice of Acadiana as a Physician from 2008-2011.
Dr. Zepernick was a dedicated father to his three surviving children, one daughter; Emilie of Glenwood Springs, Colorado; two sons; Gus and wife Sheila of Lafayette, LA and Paul and wife Debbie of Sydney, Australia. He also leaves behind eight grandchildren; Trey, Robert, Amelia, Nicholas, Mattie, Kelsey, Marissa and Daniel Zepernick and a host of nieces, nephews and grand nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Gustav and Magdalena (Hemmerich) Zepernick of Reading, Pennsylvania and his wife Margaret Olson Zepernick of Pensacola, Florida.
Pallbearers will be Trey Zepernick, Robert Zepernick, Nicholas Zepernick, Daniel Zepernick, Gannon McCaffery and Trey Perry.
The family would like to thank the doctors, nurses, and social workers at Hospice of Acadiana for the love and compassion shown to our Father during his tenure there as a volunteer physician and then as a patient at Lafayette General Hospital in his final days. We also express our heartfelt gratitude to Drs. Ken McCarron and David Weir for their exemplary care and investigative medical research they exhibited in finding the source of Dr. Zep's illness. We would also like to thank the staff of Physical Therapy South for their care and friendship over the last two years. Without the amazing, faithful priests in our area, our Father would not have been prepared to meet His maker. For this, we would like to thank Fr. Michael Champagne and the many friends and family members praying with us and for us during the illness and impending death of our Dad.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Dr. Zepernick's name to Hospice of Acadiana, 2600 Johnston Street, Ste. 200, Lafayette, LA 70503
Delhomme Funeral Home, 1011 Bertrand Drive, Lafayette, is in charge of funeral arrangements.
