Obituary: Kevin DePeugh, of Wilton

WILTON, CT — Kevin DePeugh, whose life took him from rural Midwestern beginnings to becoming a chief executive at a multinational finance and insurance company, passed away at his home in Wilton on March 12. He was 47.

Kevin was born in Pekin, Illinois to an auto mechanic father and a stay-at-home mother. In high school, Kevin was a member of the wrestling team and excelled academically. He was recommended for admittance to the Air Force Academy by former Illinois Senator Paul Simon, but instead chose to attend Illinois State University, where he double-majored in philosophy and computer science.

Following graduation, Kevin moved to San Francisco in 1996 during the fledgling days of the "dot com boom" where he began what would become a remarkable career in information technology. Originally happy to land an entry-level phone support position that allowed him to aggressively pay down his student loans (a task he accelerated by living on one meal a day, typically a mid-day burrito), Kevin used his degree in philosophy to explain complex concepts to people in ways they could easily understand, a skill he later credited with paving the way to his successful executive career.

Kevin joined American International Group, Inc. (AIG) in 2015 as their Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). Prior to that position, he served as vice president, cybersecurity at Kaiser Permanente and as the CISO at McKesson, Inc. Kevin also served as Ambassador to The Executive Women's Forum, an organization that supports the development of emerging female executives in information security.

Kevin met Nina Cavallaro in San Francisco in 1999, and the two married in North Carolina in 2001. The DePeughs lived in the Bay Area until 2004 when they moved to Atlanta where their two children, Margot (14) and Wyatt (10), were born. In 2010, the family moved back to the Bay Area before moving to Wilton in 2015.

Throughout his life's many moves and changes, Kevin's deep love of music consistently animated and sustained him. When he wasn't browsing record stores or taking in every live concert he could get to, Kevin would often sit cross-legged on the couch in front of his stereo (always the best system he could afford at the time) joyfully singing along with his favorite lyrics.

The only thing Kevin loved more than music was his family. From sharing family dinners together at home to adventuring far and wide, Kevin was truly at peace spending time with his wife and children. He especially loved taking family trips together and showing his children how wonderfully big and magical the world can be.

Since Kevin's diagnosis in 2016, the DePeugh family has traveled throughout Europe and the Caribbean as well as up and down the East Coast making memories that would last a lifetime. They even made it back to California to watch Kevin's beloved San Jose Sharks in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

In addition to his immediate family, Kevin is survived by his mother Angela Jones and his sister Celeeste Hall. The family is working to fund a small memorial along their local public trail. Donations can be made in memory of Kevin to the Norwalk River Valley Trail (website: nrvt-trail.com/donate; phone #:203-536-5618).