John Edwin Depke
John Edwin Depke, a lawyer, world traveler, and avid outdoorsman, died Thursday, April 21, in Princeton, New Jersey after a 10-month battle with cancer. He was 44.
Mr. Depke lived in Manhattan with his wife, Deirdre, where he was a partner at the international law firm of DLA Piper. The couple also had a home in East Hampton.
Born in Cleveland, Mr. Depke was the son of the late John Depke, a well-known investigative reporter and city editor of the Plain Dealer, and Nancy Depke, now of Princeton, a reporter for The Cleveland Press.
After obtaining a business degree from Miami University in Ohio, Mr. Depke worked as an investigator at the Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington, where he was inspired to earn a law degree from Chicago’s DePaul University. Mr. Depke began his legal career at Fulbright & Jaworski and then moved on to DLA Piper.
Although he moved seamlessly through the legal and business worlds, he remained something of an anomaly, survivors said: He was a successful corporate attorney who loved nothing more than hauling brush in his red Chevy pickup truck.
Even as he weakened, Mr. Depke maintained the dry but infectious sense of humor that delighted his family and friends. He was not a country club type; his love of sports and the outdoors exhibited itself in more solitary pursuits like running, swimming, and bodysurfing. He especially liked the challenging surf off the beaches of Napeague in Amagansett.
Mr. Depke traveled widely through Europe, Asia, and Latin America, generally with a pack strapped to his back, foregoing pricey hotels for modest accommodations that put him in touch with everyday people. He loved the history and literature that fed his curious mind—but also liked to while away an evening watching a “Rambo” movie marathon. He also had the junk food palate of a teenage boy, and his family found endless amusement in his continuous appetite for bacon-egg-and-cheese sandwiches and Oreo cookies.
Mr. Depke is survived by his wife, Deirdre; his mother, Nancy; and three sisters, Deidre Depke of Manhattan, Marianne McComb of New Jersey, and Meighan Depke of Illinois.
A funeral Mass was held at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan on Tuesday, April 26.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations to the Melanoma Research Foundation, melanoma.org, would be appreciated by the family.
on Apr 26, 2011