Eric Kemp Petiprin

1948-Eric Kemp Petiprin-2023

Retired Naval officer Eric K. Petiprin, 74, of Oviedo, Florida transitioned into eternal rest at his resident in Oviedo, Florida on April 12, 2023. Born in Bethesda, Maryland on April 26, 1948, Eric was the son of the late Captain Floyd “Pete” Petiprin and the late Mrs. Emily Hoffman Petiprin and brother to the late Mrs. Nanette Petiprin Marranca. Eric spent his formative years in Marly-le-Roi, France, attending the American School of Paris while his father served as United States Naval attaché to NATO. Eric maintained near-native fluency in the French language for the rest of his life. Upon his family’s return to the Washington D.C. area, Eric enrolled at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School, where he played varsity football and graduated in 1966.

Eric attended the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida, where he was a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. He received B.A. and M.A. degrees in Geography and was a devoted alumnus and longtime Miami supporter. Eric went on to pursue further graduate studies at the University of Georgia, and married Mary Hedrick in 1976 (divorced in 1993). He taught Geography at the State University of New York at Plattsburgh, where his three children were born.

In 1983, Eric accepted a commission as a United States Naval Intelligence Officer, doing extensive sea duty and traveling the world on the U.S.S. Independence and the U.S.S. John F. Kennedy out of Norfolk, Virginia and later on the flagships of the United States Sixth Fleet based in Gaeta, Italy. He also served at the office of Naval Intelligence in Suitland, Maryland, at the Pentagon, and in distinguished joint tours at Special Operations Command and as chief of the imagery branch at Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida. Eric was deployed during Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. He also deployed with NATO peacekeeping forces in the former Yugoslavia.

Eric loved his country and loved the military, retiring from the Navy with the rank of Lieutenant Commander in 1999 and settling near the Gulf of Mexico in Tierra Verde, Florida. He later worked in the retail industry and enjoyed the long companionship of his beloved Border Collie, Scotty.

A lifelong Christian, Eric’s faith grew increasingly important to him in his later years. He was a longtime member of Grace Lutheran Church in St. Petersburg, Florida until he relocated to the Orlando area in 2020. He read the Bible and prayed for his family every morning. Eric loved spending holidays and special events with his children and grandchildren, listening to classical music, driving his Corvette convertible, following Miami Hurricanes football, watching classic films, keeping up with geopolitical news, and collecting diecast Chevrolet cars. He had a warm smile, and he was known and appreciated wherever he went.

Eric is survived by his three children: Andrew Kirk Petiprin (Amber), Mary Anne Mullins (Chuck), and Karin Grace Fields; and eight grandchildren: Alexander, Aimee, Allie, Charlie, Emily, Josh, Lianna, and KJ.

Eric’s funeral will be held on Thursday, June 15, 2023 at 2 o’clock in the afternoon at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, located at 2021 W State Rd 426, Oviedo, FL 32765. All are welcome. A private burial at Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell will follow on June 16.

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