Hans U. Reppermund

Hans U. “Uli” Reppermund, 87, went home to be with his Lord and Savior Tuesday May 28, 2024 at UPMC Passavant with his loving family by his side. Uli was from West Deer Township, formerly of Indiana Township, Born on January 9, 1937 in Leinfelden Germany, he was the oldest son of Hans Joses Reppermund and Margarete Agnes Reppermund. Uli was 20 years old when he emigrated to the US and within six months of living with his sponsor family in South Dakota, he was drafted into the US Army.  In basic training where he won a jeep driving contest, he taught himself to back an equipment trailer and beat out numerous other trained drivers from other parts of the US.  Incredibly, after basic training, the army sent him to be stationed in Germany just a few miles from his childhood home.  Once there, he would often sneak off base on the weekends and spend time with his family.  This was all less than one year after he had emigrated to the US and said goodbye to his family.

He met and married his wife Ellen on July 30, 1960 who had also emigrated to the US from Germany.  Despite Uli’s German accent, you would never know he wasn’t born and raised in the US as both he and Ellen embraced their adopted country and language throughout their lives.  They were both looking forward to celebrating their 64th wedding anniversary in the US in just a few short weeks.  They were able to travel the world together, taking many relatives and friends with them to Europe and Asia; including Hong Kong where he and Ellen were stationed for 6 months with PPG Industries.

Uli started as a copy/blueprint employee with PPG industries and worked his way all the way up to Manager of Licensing and Export Sales for the Far East during his 33 years there.  He learned drafting, computers, and became an accomplished international salesperson while employed there.  At one point he negotiated the largest joint venture in China after President Nixon opened trade there; only announcing the details of the deal with his bosses at PPG after completing the agreement.  In his travels to the Far East he saw amazing sights, traveled to places, had unique experiences, and ate foods that would “make a billy goat puke”.  Fortunately for his family, he was an avid videographer and photographer and brought back incredible images of places visited.  After weeks of travel, he would often return home physically ill.  After PPG, Uli ran a successful import/export company with his long-time friend, Horace Miles.  Before fully retiring from work, he even helped complete a float glass plant and ran it as a plant manager in Suadi Arabia.

Perhaps Uli’s greatest legacy though was as a father, grandfather, and son-in-law.  He deeply loved his wife Ellen’s parents and was their most frequent helper and visitor when they became too ill to care for themselves.  He simply didn’t utter the word “no” when asked for anything.  Everyone in his circle of love knew that there wasn’t anything Uli, Papa, or Opa wouldn’t do for you on a moment’s notice.

In his retirement, he would go on to referee soccer, incredibly, until he was 80 years old as it was his most beloved sport.  The Steelers and Pirates were his favorite teams though and he rooted for them both for over 50 years.  Although, his favorite pastime was watching his grandchildren and even adult sons play any and every sport, even shuttling them to many events to help divide the work.

Uli was active in his local church, Dorseyville CMA for the better part of 40 years, until his vision no longer allowed it.  He remained in his weekly men’s Bible study throughout his entire retirement.

After finally hanging up his referee cleats, Uli and Ellen moved to Concordia in Allsion Park together.  There, even blind, he regularly competed in cornhole, started a directory of all the residents and started a joke club where he could exercise his outrageous and physical joke-telling.

He will be deeply missed by his survivors which include his wife of 63 years Ellen (Kania) Reppermund, his sons Marc M. (Sandra) Reppermund of O’Hara Township and Eric A. (Denise) Reppermund of Murrysville, grandchildren Anson, Trista, Shayna, Darra, Phaedra, Rachel and Luke, great-grandchildren Asher, Oliver, Miles, and Hudson, siblings Werner (Jasminka) Reppermund of McMurray and Inge Lang of Germany.

Besides his parents he was preceded in death by his sister Ulrike Whiteman and Horst (Eveline).

Family will receive friends Thursday from 5-8 PM in the SIWICKI-YANICKO FUNERAL HOME, 23 McKrell Road, Russellton, West Deer Township. Funeral services will be conducted Friday 10:30AM in the Dorseyville Alliance Church, 3703 Saxonburg Blvd. Dorseyville, PA 15238. He will be privately laid to rest in Lakewood Memorial Gardens, Indiana Twp. View obituary online and leave condolences at www.siwicki-yanickofh.com/obituary/Hans-Reppermund

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