John Koepf

John Koepf
July 23, 2022
Arroyo Grande, California - On July 23rd, the world lost an amazing man. John Koepf, known to some as Captain John or Diver John, left this world in the same way he lived his entire life. On his own terms. Dad was a larger than life figure who could make you feel 10 feet tall, the kind of dad who let me keep a live crab in the bathtub. Never conventional, Dad was a guy you wanted on your side, encouraging you to do the hard thing. His grandchildren could do no wrong and according to him, they were all brilliant.
Dad spent the first half of his life as a commercial fisherman and diver. Back in the 60s in Avila Beach, he spent mornings diving and the afternoons at the beach. It's there that he met and fell in love with his darling wife, Peggy Carmichael. In the 70s, he discovered and retrieved artifacts from the wreckage of a ship that sank off the coast of San Francisco in 1875, the Rydal Hall. Fearless as always. Later in life, deciding it was time to give back to his community, he was elected to the Port San Luis Harbor Commission and was active in Big Brothers Big Sisters.
Dad was passionate about growing his own fruits and vegetables and good luck leaving his property without him handing you a metric ton of avocados. He read every history book he could get his hands on, and had an incredible memory for details. He was happy to save you the trouble of reading the newspaper. He woke up at 5am, devoured the NY Times, and by 7am he was prepared to offer a proper retelling of the news, with correct opinions included. No one could make me laugh harder or make me feel more adored than Dad.
He is survived by his wife (Peggy), his children (Daisy, Jonathan, Gina, Shawn, Ramona), and his eleven perfect grandchildren. A memorial service will be held on Thursday, September 1st, at the Avila Bay Athletic Club, at 3pm.