Kevin Michael Nalepa, age 40, of Sweet Home passed away Wednesday at his home. Kevin was born February 29, 1969 in Ohio.

After Kevin left home, he spent many years in the Navy aboard submarines. Being honorably discharged, Kevin then found residence in San Diego, California. There, he worked for Helen at 7-Eleven until 2006.

When his father came down with cancer, Kevin came to Sweet Home to be with him. Although Kevin left San Diego, he spoke so often of 7-Eleven and Helen that everyone around him came to know her as his mother.

Kevin had a great appreciation for the holidays, especially Christmas. In the past few years, he decorated trees that were auctioned off for community benefits in Brownsville. He was an avid movie collector with titles spanning many decades, but most of all, his collection was rivaled by no other.

He loved his dogs and always told his friends and family how they would chase him up and down the driveway. He was a kind and caring soul, very up beat and never complained about anything. He always packed around something to satisfy his sweet tooth and cheer others up. Kevin was a big kid at heart, but his friends remember him as “the guy that would give you the shirt off his back.”

He was preceded in death by his father, Dan Thomas, and favorite dog, Skeeter.

Kevin is survived by Padre of Sweet Home, OR; Helen of San Diego, CA; Debbie and Darrell Larson of Brownsville, OR; and his family at Thriftway in Sweet Home, OR.

Services will be held at the Sweet Home VFW Hall, 4:00 p.m., Thursday, Jan 28th.

Sweet Home Funeral Chapel is handling services.