Richard Depkin

Richard Frederick Depkin of Bel Air died on April 16 at his home. He was 90. The son of the late Charles A. and Marie C. Depkin, he grew up in Parkville and graduated from Baltimore Polytechnic Institute in 1945. He served in the U.S. Navy on a troop transport in the Pacific theater of World War II. A member of the Alpha Tau Omega social fraternity, he graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 1950 with a bachelor’s degree in engineering and earned a Master’s in special education from Coppin State University in 1989. At Hopkins he organized a 13-piece dance orchestra, playing for many Baltimore-area organizations, school and fraternity functions including his own college prom. He continued playing with small combos in nightclubs until 1969. Mr. Depkin worked at Aberdeen Proving Ground for 38 years, retiring as supervisor of the Field Engineering Test Laboratory in 1988. He represented the U.S. in several international working groups developing universal test procedures for performance evaluation of military tracked vehicles. Inspired by his special needs son, he advocated for education programs and facilities as a volunteer and leader for the Baltimore, Harford County, and Maryland associations for retarded citizens. He was also a gubernatorial appointee to the Maryland Humane Practices Commission for 15 years. Mr Depkin was predeceased by his wife Sandra Depkin, former wife Joan Depkin, and his brother Charles E. Depkin. He is survived by his son, Richard C. Depkin, daughters Chris Depkin and Sandra Conway, stepsons Mark Foehrkolb and Robert Ewing, stepdaughter Pamela Stauffer, as well as three grandsons, six step-grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. 

Memorial services will be held at The Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd in Bel Air, MD on May 6 @ 1PM. Donations in his honor can be made to The Arc Northern Chesapeake Region.

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