Clarence was the Administrative Assistant to the Chairman of the Board and Assistant Secretary of the H.J. Heinz Co. He died on October 11, 1978, at the age of 68.
As a Trustee of the Heinz Family Trusts, Clarence played a key role in administering family affairs for more than 30 years. He joined the company in St. Paul, Minn., in 1931, after graduating from college and moved to Pittsburgh in 1944 where he first worked in the sales promotion department. He became the confidential secretary of Henry J. Heinz II in 1947.
"A modest man, with great warmth and sensitivity, he had a sincere and unselfish way of helping others to perform their jobs better," said the Trustees of the Howard Heinz Endowment upon the fund's creation. "He was immensely respected and appreciated by his associates and he will be greatly missed, although his presence will always be felt."
At the suggestion of the Chairman, the fund was unanimously established by the Howard Heinz Endowment, Vira I. Heinz Fund and the Heinz family as a fitting memorial to Charles Koepke who devoted so much of his professional life to philanthropy.