John K. Jepson, Sr. of Simsbury, CT, the former husband of Anne M. T. Jepson and Andi Thorne Jepson passed to be with his Lord on July 23, 2025. He was preceded in death by his parents John Jepson and Clarice Kincaide Jepson and is survived by his brother, Henry Lincoln Kincaide Jepson (Vicki) and his two sisters, June C. Jepson and Esther G. Gomez (Richard).
He is also survived by his three children, John K. Jepson Jr. (Kara), Jeffrey F. Jepson (Donna), and Kristin J. DuBois (William), his three stepsons, Greg Thorne, Rick Thorne (Jennifer), and Dan Thorne ( Michelle), and his thirteen grandchildren, Nicole Wolter (Matt), Ashleigh Jepson, Laura Jepson, Grace Trainer (Bennett), Emma McMahon (Dylan), Lincoln Jepson, Austin DuBois, MacKenzie DuBois, Caroline DuBois, Grant DuBois and Keegan DuBois, Alexa Thorne and Zachary Thorne.
John was born in Hartford, CT, attended Kingswood High School in West Hartford, and graduated high school from Vermont Academy in Saxtons River, VT. He briefly attended Colorado College in Colorado Springs, CO before transferring and earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology from St. Lawrence University. He later attended the University of Connecticut (UCONN) Law School where he earned his law degree.
While at St. Lawrence, he started his long military career by completing the Reserve Officer Training Corp program where he earned a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Army, Infantry branch.
He lived, worked, and served most of his years in Simsbury, CT. In 2004, the town of Simsbury recognized his exemplary civil service by giving him one of its highest awards, the “Hometown Hero Award” recognizing John for his many years of exemplary community service.
John was an attorney by trade working for 13 years as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Connecticut. He also served a number of years as the head of the Legal Department for the nation’s oldest bank, Connecticut Bank & Trust. He completed his legal career in solo private practice. While practicing, he served both as an Adjunct Professor of Law at UCONN Law School and as Chairman of the Connecticut Bar Association’s Veteran’s and Military Affairs Committee.
John had a heart for service and was a perennial volunteer. He served in the United States Army Reserve for 32 years retiring at the rank of Colonel. During his military service, he held four different commands, served as the 76th Training Division’s Public Affairs Officer, its Inspector General, and in the Judge Advocate Generals Corps.
John also volunteered as national legal counsel for the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) advising and protecting the rights of our country’s “citizen soldiers” and veterans. He served on the national board for the Reserve Officer’s Association and was highly decorated with its highest award, the Legion of Merit.
John had a love for skiing and skied competitively in both high school and college. He served on the National Ski Patrol for 53 years with most of those years at Butternut Basin in Great Barrington, MA and was the Western Mass Region Legal Advisor. In his later years, he also became certified as a ski instructor where he was able to share his passion with others.
John loved music and served as a long-time board member and former Chairman of the Hartford Symphony and founded its Volunteer Association. He was one of the founding board members of the Talcott Mountain Music Festival in Simsbury, CT. Each year, the festival brings the Hartford Symphony and many other wonderful artists to Simsbury creating a community cultural event the entire town looks forward to.
John was a 50-year member of the Connecticut Chapters of both the Masonic Temple and the Shriner’s Organization and kept a long-standing family tradition by maintaining membership in the Royal Order of Jesters.
The family held a private service with full military honors at the Connecticut State Veterans Cemetery in Middletown, CT on August 8, 2025, where John was laid to rest with his late wife, Andi Thorne Jepson. In lieu of flowers, John requested that donations be made to Shriners Children’s Hospital of New England, 516 Carew Street, Springfield MA 01104 or shrinerschildrens.org.
The family expressed their extreme gratitude to all the healthcare workers and employees of Avon Health Center in Avon, CT who provided such professional and loving care for their father over these past years. To leave condolences for the family please visit www.carmonfuneralhome.com
