Fr. Patrick F. Peppard, SJ, died on July 14, 2026, at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Pontiac, Michigan. He was 84 years old.
Fr. Peppard is preceded in death by his parents, Joseph and Rosemary (nee Schepley). He is survived by his siblings: Timothy J. Peppard, Thomas R. Peppard, Michael J. Peppard, and Mary Ann Peppard.
Patrick F. Peppard was born on February 14, 1942, in Cleveland, Ohio. He graduated from Saint Ignatius High School in Cleveland (1960) before entering the Detroit Province on August 8, 1960, at Colombiere Center in Clarkston, Michigan. He was ordained on June 2, 1973, at St. Patrick’s Church in Cleveland, Ohio, and pronounced final vows on April 27, 1978, at St. John’s Jesuit High School in Toledo, Ohio.
While in the Society, Fr. Peppard earned a bachelor’s degree (1965) and a master’s degree (1970) in English from Loyola University Chicago. He studied philosophy at Bellarmine School of Theology in North Aurora, Illinois, and theology at the Jesuit School of Theology in Chicago, Illinois.
During regency (1966-1969), Fr. Peppard taught English, Latin, religion and speech at St. John’s Jesuit High School in Toledo, Ohio (which had recently reopened in 1965). After ordination, he returned to St. John’s and taught theology and English (1974-1979). He taught theology (1979-1997) and English (1979-1985) at the University of Detroit Jesuit High School (UDJHS). Father then was missioned to teach theology at Walsh Jesuit High School (1997-2005) before returning to UDJHS, where he taught theology (2006-2012) and served as a school chaplain (2009-2017). He was also the administrator (2012-2015) and a pastoral assistant (2015-2017) at Ss. Peter and Paul Jesuit Church in Detroit, Michigan. In addition to his classroom duties, he was also superior of the UDJHS (1979-1985) and the Walsh (1997-2005) Jesuit Communities. In 2017, Fr. Peppard was missioned to the Colombiere Center to pray for the Church and the Society of Jesus.
Fr. Peppard was gregarious and welcoming. He was loquacious and would talk on a variety of topics. He had a theatrical presence and often over-embellished his stories to keep his audience entertained. He truly cared about everyone he encountered. Fr. Peppard was a wonderful, animated teacher who spent over four decades teaching high school students. In addition to the classroom, he directed many high school plays and was able to get a wide range of personalities involved in his productions. Father was an incredibly generous person — both with his time and stories!
"Pat did wonderful ministry at the Walsh Community and at Ss. Peter and Paul in Detroit," Fr. Robert Scullin, SJ, former provincial of the Detroit Province, said. "He paid great attention to details in all his ministry and touched many lives. I especially enjoyed visiting him in his Detroit missions. He was very single-hearted in his love of the Lord and his people. He took great care of me once while I had a medical need while visiting the Walsh community."
Br. James Boynton, SJ, former president of UDJHS, remembers Fr. Peppard's presence at U of D Jesuit.
"(He) large presence in every sense of the word... He taught generations of students and directed both them and their sisters in countless Shakespearean plays," Br. Boynton said. "His booming voice could be heard down the corridors from his classroom. Pat made great connections with students and had a very loyal following. His name is always brought up among graduates when telling stories of the good old days.
"In his later years, he said all the daily Masses at the High. He had his own unique presiding style, but never gave a poor homily. One time, I was the only attendee at mass and told him he didn’t need to preach. He delivered a sermon to me as if I were a congregation of 300… Pat did nothing 'halfway.' He is a legend at UDJHS, was always available to help in any way, and was a good community man. He certainly made his mark."
A Mass of Christian Burial was said for Fr. Peppard on Monday, July 20, 2026, at the Colombiere Center, in the Village of Clarkston.
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