Dr. William Kepler was a well-known advocate for sexual abuse victims on Maui. Services for Kepler will be Saturday at Makawao Union Church. Courtesy photo

A physician who helped to break new ground in bringing justice and relief to victims of sexual assault on Maui has died.

Dr. William G. Kepler died Aug. 2 at his home surrounded by family. He was 84 years old.

Kepler’s life will be celebrated by colleagues and friends at 4 p.m. Saturday at the Makawao Union Church. Doors open at 3:30 p.m.

With his parents and grandparents working as American missionaries in China, Kepler learned to live with little electricity and no running hot water in his youth and to be a catalyst for change.

His friends and associates say Kepler’s work has been vital in efforts to reduce child abuse in Maui County.

He was also a muti-faceted person who, in his early years in rural Maui, did house calls and raised a herd of dairy goats that kept the family busy. His son Chris recalled how he and his brother Ken learned to milk and feed goats, as well as do other chores.

Physician William Kepler is shown with his wife Luellen. Courtesy photo

Dr. Kepler was a soccer coach and sang in the choir of Makawao Union Church and the Maui Madrigals and performed in plays in the theatrical community productions, including the Baldwin Theatre Guild.

In the 1980s as child advocacy centers arose nationwide, Dr. Kepler and other pediatricians were trained to evaluate child sex assault victims, conduct interviews and do physical examinations.

In an interview several years ago, Kepler said the training helped spare children from undergoing multiple examinations and interviews by people. He said many pediatricians didn’t want to do the examination after undergoing the training, so he volunteered.

Shelley Waia’u, who assisted in the examinations for about 20 years, said the calls for help could come at any time including during the holidays.

“We got up all hours of the day or night,” said Waia’u, who was trained by Kepler to be his assistant. “We just had to get ready to go.”

Waia’u recalled Kepler was aware that the hospital wasn’t the friendliest place to interview and examine victims. Eventually, he made arrangements for the examinations to take place with more privacy in cottages behind the hospital.

“That’s the kind of guy he was,” Waia’u said.

Paul Tonnesen, a leader of the Friends of the Children’s Justice Center, said Kepler was a cherished member of its board and a physician dedicated to helping vulnerable youth.

“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Dr. Bill Kepler,” Tonnesen said. “His legacy lives on in the lives he touched and the mission he helped shape. We are grateful for his service and he will be profoundly missed.”

Kepler was featured in The Maui News in 1982 as one of the “People who made a difference.” He moved with his wife Luellen to Maui in 1979 when there were only a couple of traffic lights on Maui.

He’d respond to calls four to five times a month, often in the middle of the night, and he testified in some court cases, as Kepler worked with a sexual assault response team of prosecutors, social workers and police.

“As the sexual assault examiner for Maui County, Dr. Kepler was the first point of light, kindness, and caring that child sexual assault victims encountered in what would have been a long and scary legal process,” former Prosecuting Attorney Davelynn Tengan said. “Long after he ended his medical practice, he remained committed to advocating for all child maltreatment victims as a member of the board of directors of the Friends of the Children’s Justice Center.”

He’s helped to build a team of advanced nurse practitioners who are now doing the examinations in the county.

Eventually, he supported the development of a sexual assault response team for Maui County that included certified nurse-midwives who were trained in treating victims and gathering evidence.

“He helped to provide the medical legal examiners for the sexual assault team. He was very supportive of us,” recalled Jennifer Baumstark, the former chair of the graduate Nursing Program at Hawaii Pacific University.

In lieu of flowers, friends are asked to send donations to Friends of the Children’s Justice Center of Maui, 2103 Wells St, Suite 101, Wailuku, Hi 96793 or at https://mauicjc.org.

Those unable to attend can go to Facebook page of Chris Kepler, who plans to provide a livestream. The family has asked people to wear a bit of blue, Kepler’s favorite color, at the services.

Children and grandchildren of Dr. William Kepler and his wife Luellen gather for a family portrait. Kepler, who passed away in August, is remembered for being an advocate for sexual assault victimes. Photo courtesy Leesa Wolfgang