My second cousin never knew her father, as he died before her birth. He died in a plane crash in Egypt in the waning days of World War II. Their hometown newspaper covered his death extensively, even publishing a few lines he had written to his wife about the importance of hope. Thank you Lt. Kepil, for your service.
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| Digital layout with elements from Club Scrap Henna, Matrix and Gimme a Ring; Spangle Jangle by Debbie Knorr |
Leonard Edward Kvapil was born in Chicago, Illinois, on May 25, 1916, to Edward Michael Kvapil and Elizabeth Holub Kvapil. The family changed the spelling of their name from Kvapil to Kepil sometime between 1930 and 1940.
Leonard Kepil registered for the draft in Michigan in 1941 and also enlisted in the Air Corps Reserve. He married Opal Kathleen Pitcher on August 10, 1941, just four months before the attack on Pearl Harbor pulled the United States into World War II. He worked as a draftsman prior to being called to active duty in early 1943.
Leonard trained as a pilot in the Army Air Corps and was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in May, 1944. Assigned to troop transports, he died in a plane crash along with another pilot, on March 9, 1945. They were flying a C-47A stationed at Pomigliano, Italy, and were on a routine flight at Cairo, Egypt. He was buried first in Egypt, moved to Algeria, then brought back to Michigan, where he was buried in 1949.
He left behind his wife and daughter, as well as parents and siblings.
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