Walter John Rephun; Dance Teacher and Construction Foreman

Walter John Rephun, an avid dancer and dance teacher who was also a longtime construction foreman, has died in his Lancaster home of cancer. He was 71.

Rephun spent nearly 50 years working as a building inspector and construction foreman and helped build several schools and public buildings, including the Los Angeles County sheriff’s station in Lancaster. He also was a real estate broker.

But his real love was dancing, which he began teaching in the 1950s in San Diego, his widow, Neta Deeter Rephun, said. He won several trophies for various dancing styles, including folk and ballroom dancing, the rumba and the cha-cha.

He died Saturday.

Shortly after moving to Lancaster in 1956, Rephun opened Walt’s “Time” Studio. Neta Rephun said the couple met in one of his classes and their relationship bloomed over a cup of tea one evening after class. The couple were married on Feb. 4, 1963.

Rephun closed the studio in 1964 when the construction business became too demanding, but he and his wife continued to dance weekly with the Triple S Ballroom Dance Club until two months before his death. He was a lifetime member of the Assn. of Dance Teachers of Southern California, which he joined in 1955, and was a member of the Dance Masters of America, which he joined in 1958.

He was also a longtime member of the Lancaster Elks Lodge and the Lancaster Loyal Order of Moose.

Born April 10, 1919, in San Francisco, Rephun served in the Navy from 1939 to 1942, achieving the rank of chief petty officer. In addition to his wife, his survivors include: a son, Stephen J. Rephun of Bonita, Calif.; a sister, Bertha Jean Treahy of San Diego; and three nephews and one niece.

A memorial service will be held at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at the Antelope Valley Church of Religious Science. Private burial will be at Joshua Memorial Park in Lancaster.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to the Antelope Valley Church of Religious Science at 1030 W. Ave. L-8, Lancaster, 93434, or to the City of Hope, P.O. Box 3203, Quartz Hill, 93536. Murphy Mortuary in Lancaster is handling the arrangements.