Kevin Nalepa

Kevin Michael Nalepa, 40, of Sweet Home died Jan. 20, 2010 at his home.

He was born Feb. 29, 1969 in Ohio. After he left home he spent many years in the Navy aboard submarines. After being honorably discharged, he lived in San Diego, Calif., where he worked at 7-Eleven until 2006, when his father came down with cancer.

Mr. Nalepa moved to Sweet Home to be with his father. Although he had left San Diego, he spoke so often of 7-Eleven and “Helen,” his boss there, that everyone around him came to know her as his mother.

Mr. Nalepa had a great appreciation for the holidays, especially Christmas. The last few years he decorated trees that were auctioned off for community benefits in Brownsville. He was an avid movie collector, with titles spanning many decades. His collection was rivaled by no other. He loved his dogs and always told his friends and family how they would chase him up and down the driveway.

He was a kind and caring soul, very up-beat, who never complained about anything. He always packed around something to satisfy his sweet tooth and cheer others up.

Mr. Nalepa was a big kid at heart but his friends remember him as “the guy that would give you the shirt off his back”.

Kevin is survived by Padre of Sweet Home; “Helen” of San Diego; Debbie and Darrell Larson of Brownsville; and his family at Thriftway in Sweet Home, where he worked prior to his death.

He was preceded in death by his father, Dan Thomas, and favorite dog, Skeeter.

Services will be held at 4 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 28, at the Sweet Home VFW Hall.

Sweet Home Funeral Chapel is handling the arrangements.