Leo P. Pepino

Mr. Pepino was educated at St. Joseph's and Mount Saint Mary's schools and was graduated from Central High School. Following graduation, he enlisted in the United States Navy at the age of 17, where he served on the USS Midway, an aircraft carrier that saw duty in the North Atlantic, from 1945 to 1946. He also served in the Naval Reserve from 1958 to 1962.

On June 22, 1946, while in the service, he married another Manchester native Rita LeClerc at the Anacostia Naval Base in Virginia. Rita was also in the Navy at the time.

Professionally, Pepino started RL Transportation, a trucking company, in 1949 with his wife. They would own and operate the business until 1957. From 1958 to 1967, he owned and operated Esquire Motors. Pepino went into construction, joining the International Union of Operating Engineers. A job site accident suffered while working on the construction of the Hampshire Plaza Tower in downtown Manchester left him disabled. He also served twelve years as a bailiff for the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Department, retiring from that post in 1996.

Pepino's public political career began in the late 1970's with his first runs for office. In 1979, he defeated incumbent Ward 4 Alderman Bill Kelley in a stunning upset that rocked the Manchester political world. It was a hotly contested race that exposed serious issues with the city's voter checklists. He would hold that seat until being defeated in 1985 but would recapture the seat in 1991 from Ward 4 Alderman Daniel P. O'Neil, who replaced him in 1985. Despite being defeated in his 1993 reelection bid, Pepino would remain active in city politics until his passing, including being elected in a citywide race to the 2003 Manchester City Charter Commission.

On the state level, Pepino served 11 terms, spanning from the late 1980s to the present with only a one term interruption in service, as a State Representative from Ward 4. He was also a delegate to the New Hampshire Constitutional Convention in 1984.

Pepino's legislative initiatives can be summed up in two words: Protective and determined.

Pepino sought to protect the victims of gun crime by successfully offering legislation that severely punished the use of guns in the commission of crime, without infringing on the rights and abilities of law abiding to obtain firearms. He proposed legislation to protect the unborn from acts of violence against their mothers that caused their death. He proposed bills that protected police and other public safety officers from a variety of assaults and established health standards to govern them. He also successfully offered legislation to protect patients from infectious diseases obtained in hospitals.

A fierce protector of veterans' rights and benefits, Pepino frequently and successfully offered legislation to provide the assistance he believed they rightfully deserved. A strong advocate to protect children, he tirelessly worked to pass legislation that would identify the whereabouts of sex offenders and prevent them from living near schools, playgrounds and other places where children congregate. Pepino was also an ardent defender of Life and traditional marriage, offering several bills to protect and advance the cause of both. A patriot, Pepino offered several bills to protect The Flag from desecration and the governor just signed into law his bill requiring that the state purchase American flags made in the United States. It was Pepino's last bill adopted as law.

Pepino was always persistent in his pursuits. He'd keep coming back until he got what he wanted, but was always willing to accept a better way. And, his ability to focus on issues enabled him to work with Republicans and Democrats alike in the legislature. (He'd been a member of both parties in his career.) As a result, he had an extraordinarily high percentage of bills he sponsored signed into law. Always loyal to his friends, he was an astute observer of what was happening at City Hall and the State House and a formidable presence respected in both.

In addition to politics, Pepino was involved in numerous civic organizations and causes, including the Ancient Order of Hibernians, breast cancer awareness, and the construction of Manchester's recently built World War II Veterans Memorial, of which he was particularly proud.

He was predeceased by his beloved wife of nearly 59 years, Rita. His surviving family members include his son Leo E. Pepino and his wife Diana (Hardy) Pepino; his two grandchildren, Anthony Leo Pepino and Emily Rose Pepino all of Goffstown; his sister, Mary Elizabeth "Betty" Gosselin of Manchester; many nephews, nieces, and cousins, and the rescued dog he so loved.

A Mass of Christian burial was celebrated on on Tuesday, July 3, 2012 in St. Joseph Cathedral. Burial with military honors followed in St. Joseph Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, 2 Commerce Dr., Ste. 110, Bedford, NH 03110.