Neighbor stories: Kepper Petzing, A Neighbor of the Ainsworth Linear Arboretum for 43 Years

By Jordana Leeb

Kepper (who uses pronouns they/them) moved to the Concordia neighborhood in 1982 and has lived in the same house, a ½ block from the Ainsworth Linear Arboretum (ALA) ever since. They moved to Portland from Chicago and lived briefly in SE Portland.

Kepper with beloved Western redcedar. Photo by Jordana Leeb

Kepper’s property has the feel of a small nature park with native and other plants carpeting the ground and includes one large Douglas Fir, two large Western Red Cedars, one Sitka Spruce, two pine trees, and a host of deciduous trees. Unfortunately, a large juniper tree fell during a storm. According to Kepper, the downside of having so many trees is that they keep growing, increasing shade and water competition which have created problems for plants they have tried to grow. The upside is that their house remains cool, especially the 2nd floor, during Portland’s increasingly hot summers.

Over the course of their time in Concordia, Kepper has raised two daughters along with their husband of 44 years, Lowen, who sadly passed away this past year. They have also owned two dogs over the years and enjoyed walking them in the ALA.

A special memory from the ALA that Kepper shared was “walking one of my dogs, Alex, on a night of a full moon in the Fall, and watching the light filter through the yellow maple leaves. That memory is burned in my brain.”

Kepper also appreciated the divided parkway of the ALA, when they took their children on bike rides to the family’s favorite park, Peninsula Park. At that time, the streets along the ALA were calm with little traffic, and the ALA provided welcome shade. They appreciated how safe it felt to travel the corridor.

Kepper enjoys bird watching and hiking with their hiking group, which meets weekly. These trips to the woods with friends fill their heart and soul and supports them spiritually, physically and emotionally.

When asked how the neighborhood, trees and wildlife have changed during the time they have lived in Concordia, Kepper mentions the loss of large Douglas Fir trees on their block, as well as a noticeable decline in bird species visiting their yard’s birdfeeders. In fact, they have noticed that the bird and animal species, namely a resident Red-Tailed Hawk, a seasonal Cooper’s Hawk, Great Horned Owl, and hundreds of bats, have not been seen on their street in about 30 years.

After retiring from a career as a chiropractor, in addition to hiking and caretaking their property, Kepper volunteers each week at a meals program for community members in need located in SE Portland. On top of that, they are the chair of the Concordia Neighborhood Association’s (CNA) Friends of the Commons Committee and have been instrumental in promoting, planning, nurturing and facilitating opportunities for neighbors to gather, connect, listen to music, and have fun in the Commons.

We (including all the trees on their property!) all benefit from Kepper’s care and dedication.