After only 19 months of service he was promoted to E5 Sergeant. He was honorably discharged in June of 1973. He became a charter member of the Marine Corps League of Watertown, the Bartelme-Schewfel Detachment 349 in 1975.

Once out of the Marine Corps, he worked for Koplin Excavating for seven years before starting his own excavating business, Jerry Hepp Excavating Inc. in 1980.

Hepp gave generously to the community with his time, talents, or monetary donations. Hepp donated trailers to be used as a stage for the Watertown street dances and Relay for Life events at the high school. He often had multiple units or sponsorships for local parades. He donated time and material in the excavation of the Watertown High School weight room in 2007, the elevator addition at the Elks Lodge and the flag cage in front to ease changing of the American Flag.

Hepp also contributed to several community projects such as the construction of the Survive Alive House in 1994 used by the Watertown Fire Department and pulled it through the Fourth of July parade. He was named Parade Marshal in 1998. He was instrumental in the launching of the Watertown Health and Wellness Center. He was involved with sending boxes full of donated meals and essentials that were shipped to troops overseas during the Iran/Iraq War in 2008. He also ordered the flag poles and facilitated the work of adding the monuments and flags at Veterans Park in 2007.

He served on multiple boards and organizations in the Watertown community: Chickens Unlimited, Elks Lodge, Moose Lodge, Watertown Builders and Trades, VFW, American Legion, and Watertown Aviation. “Jerry served as a sort of ‘go-to guy’ for anyone that knew him,” Linda said. “He was a great resource to be able to get things done.