Paul Gerard Peppler, age 99, in the first hour of June 27, 2019, began his journey from this world to the peace and joy of the next with his Heavenly Father. Born in Parkersburg, West Virginia, to John Henry Peppler and Mary Agnes Dennison, he grew up in the Great Depression with four brothers and three sisters. He learned to work in various trades including the locks on the Kanawha River and gave his wages over to support the family. These traits stayed with him when he moved to Washington, D.C., before World War II to work for the U.S. government and sent money home. When the war came, Paul tried to enlist in the Army and the Merchant Marines but failed the physical exam because of a heart murmur.

His heart took him in another direction with the Navy Department as a records clerk where he met his wife, Francesca Gauthier. They married May 5, 1945, three days before V-E Day. During their marriage they raised three children: Paula Nawn (Timothy), Charles Peppler (Ellen), and Gerard Peppler.

Paul became a Special Agent with the Internal Revenue Service. He investigated the Mafia and provided protection service for President Lyndon B. Johnson after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963.

After retiring from the IRS in 1970, and with Charles and Gerard in tow, Paul and Francesca moved from College Park, Maryland, to Miami, Florida, where Paul had accepted a position with the City of Miami Police Department to serve as an accountant and investigator in the organized crimes bureau. During their time in Miami, husband and wife took tennis and Spanish lessons. Paul became a marathon runner in the mid-1980s and completed three marathons. He obtained a bachelor's degree in accounting from Florida International University in 1987 at the age of 67. He and Frances traveled through Europe visiting shrines and the birthplaces of saints. Both were devout Catholics, celebrating Mass and praying the Rosary daily.

In 1992, Hurricane Andrew chased them from South Florida to Pensacola where they were closer to children and grandchildren. When Frances became stricken with Alzheimer's, Paul became her advocate for healthcare and her dignity. He visited her daily at the Haven of Our Lady of Peace until her death in 2004. Because of the stress of caring for her, Paul suffered a stroke leaving him partially paralyzed, but still able to walk using a rollator. He kept busy writing to his relatives, his grandchildren, and his great-grandchildren both by hand and email. He studied genealogy, read religious works, especially The Story of a Soul by St. Therese of Lisieux and studied French, leaving note cards with conjugations of verbs in neat handwriting.

All who met him were impressed by his kindness, steadfast Catholic faith, gentle manner, and easy laugh. When the end was near, he told those caring for him that his life was in God's hands.

He is survived by his three children, five grandsons, two granddaughters, four great-grandsons and one great- granddaughter, and several nieces, nephews, and cousins. He is also survived by his sister-in-law, Jacqueline Auclair, who was a bridesmaid at his wedding, and Jean McNeil, a special friend from Wesley Haven Villas.

Visitation will take place at Harper-Morris Memorial Chapel, 2276 Airport Boulevard, Pensacola, FL, Friday, July 5, 2019 from 5:00 to 7:00pm, with a rosary to be prayed at 5:00 pm. A funeral mass will be celebrated on Saturday, July 6, 2019 at 10:00 am, at St. Paul Catholic Church, 3131 Hyde Park Road, Pensacola, FL. Interment will be at Holy Cross Cemetery immediately following the funeral with a reception to follow at St. Paul's Parish Hall.

In lieu of flowers, donations are requested to be made to St. Paul Catholic Church, Wesley Haven Villas, or Regency Hospice.

The family wishes to thank WHV and Regency Hospice for their care of Paul.