Vic Lepisto

75, Agoura Hills

Other than his family and the young people he coached, Vic Lepisto led a selfcontained life, making it to 75 without an email address.

Grit and determination, honed in a life of physical action, carried him through as he fought diabetes, dementia and then COVID-19, dying peacefully Dec. 28 after a three-week battle.

Born June 29, 1945, Lepisto grew up in unincorporated La Cañada and played football and baseball and ran track at John Muir High School in Pasadena.

Entering UCLA in 1963, he played two sports. As a defensive end on the “Gutty Little Bruins” football teams led by Heisman winner Gary Beban, he competed for national championships. He co-captained the 1968 team.

His performance on the rugby pitch earned an induction into the UCLA Rugby Hall of Fame. He continued to play after graduation, and holds a spot in the Santa Monica Rugby Club’s hall of fame.

At Mom’s, a Westwood dancing spot, Lepisto met 21-year-old Sue Henderson in 1970. A brief courtship was interrupted by his desire to explore Europe before marriage. A month into the expedition, he called, and she answered. She joined him in Rome, where he proposed.

Upon learning that 10 witness signatures would be required at the American Embassy, they took a ferry to Athens and found an American church whose minister’s prime concern seemed to be the odds of the union lasting.

Twice, he “pointedly said to me, ‘Did you know that one out of three marriages here ends in divorce?’ ” she recalled.

Sue, who has spent 43 years as a teacher, counselor and principal with the Los Angeles Unified School District, got the last laugh. The marriage lasted 50 years.

The couple settled in North Hollywood. With a daughter and two sons, they eventually made Agoura Hills home.

“His children were the light of his life!” Sue Lepisto said. “He was omnipresent on the sidelines at youth basketball and soccer games, cheering from the dugout at baseball games and imploring runners to ‘GO’ down the homestretch at track meets.”

After 14 years as a Los Angeles County probation officer, Lepisto retired to go into teaching. At El Camino Real High School in Woodland Hills, he taught physical education and coached cross country and track for another 14 years.

He retired in 2010 to have more time for family, exercise and travel.

He is remembered for “his kindness, selflessness, loyalty, determination, and love for his family,” said his son Garrett. “Vic gave his all to others, always putting them ahead of himself and celebrating the success of those around him.”

He is survived by Sue, their three children, eight grandchildren, his sister Carol and brother Dave.