TORRINGTON – There is an old saying that goes, “When you have a toothache, the most beautiful person in the world is a dentist.”

Dr. Timothy Pieper has been a nonstop, encouraging presence in Torrington for well over forty years. Since opening his dental practice back in 1976, thousands of Goshen residents have had the privilege of visiting his welcoming office, along with being greeted with a legendary beaming smile.

Dentistry is perhaps a health profession that many individuals may avoid out of fear, or even paranoia. Growing up, all it takes is one bad experience at the dentist to scar a patient for life, forever hampering their willingness to return ever again.

Pieper has made it a top priority for the course of his entire career to ensure that not one patient has a bad experience. One would be very, very hard pressed to find a resident in Torrington that would not feel safe and in good hands upon going to the long-time dentist’s office.

Although Pieper formally announced his retirement from practicing full time in recent months, it must be pointed out that one aspect of his career has cemented his outstanding reputation within the community, and all of Goshen County.

Since joining the St. Joseph’s Children’s Home (SJCH) Board of Directors nearly 45 years ago, Dr. Pieper has made it very clear that his long list of patients does not only apply to citizens of the community, but more specifically to those who need it most. 

Much like the children at SJCH, both past and present.

Pieper was first approached to serve on the SJCH Board by then facility superintendent, Father Carl Beavers, who took strong note of Pieper’s compassion for others, and willingness to make a difference.

Beavers would tell Pieper decades ago, “I’ve been watching you and I think you’d be a good addition to the Board.”

Pieper did not have to think twice about the opportunity, and responded immediately with, “To be a part of that would be fantastic!”

Remarkably, Pieper’s relationship with the SJCH started long before Beaver’s proposal. His grandfather benefited the facility as well, driving and delivering vast amounts of produce to the home as far back as the 1930’s. 

Several decades later, it would be appropriate to admit in retrospect that Pieper was a perfect candidate to serve the position. Pieper would serve honestly, and honorably until stepping down with his retirement just two months ago in June.

SJCH Executive Director, Ronda Meyer, spoke incredibly high not only of Pieper’s performance on the Board, but also the example that was set for years to come on what a SJCH Board Member truly represents.

“Dr. Pieper took his role very seriously, and very much has had a passion for our mission and for the kids,” Meyer said. “He always took his responsibilities very seriously. He had this due diligence, but was also very much in support of what we needed to do to support these kids and their families. He really has created the way forward for the Board and their responsibilities with that due diligence.”

Right from the beginning, the kind dentist with the beaming smile did indeed understand the responsibilities of his position. He also knew why his successful, local practice would be taking on a unique task of just a bit more importance, not just for business but for the betterment of humanity.

“It’s a culture,” Dr. Pieper noted. “It’s important to have a culture like that, and I think that’s the culture we have at St. Joe’s. It’s caring, giving and helping.”

Many residents of the SJCH had never even seen a dentist before meeting Pieper, and would at times require the utmost care from Pieper and his staff.

Pieper was not disconnected from the realities of the world, and understood very well that by providing care for the children of St. Joe’s, this would require a change of approach from his normal clientele. Pieper would feel nothing but the utmost compassion for children who had experienced every imaginable hardship, and knew that dental care was an enormous step forward in improving the overall quality of their lives.

“We’ve had very, very difficult children at St. Joseph’s, “ Pieper said. “I was always struck by how well behaved they were when they came for dental work.”

Throughout the course of his work with the SJCH, Pieper acknowledged that as rewarding and productive as the task has always been, it of course was not without change and challenge along the way. Of course when it comes to any sort of change in any environment, Pieper knew this would require appropriate adaptation with things on his own end.

“My passion has always been development for the SJCH which at times could be challenging,” Pieper said. “Without the private money, St. Joe’s would’ve been gone a long time ago because there’s really not enough state or federal money to keep the place going. As a result of that private funding, we are actually the only facility in the state that takes care of these kids. The committees on the Board are very important because we are reminded every day that we need to be working on these things.”

The SJCH has changed significantly for the better throughout the years, both with developmental construction projects, as well as with appropriate treatment programs for residents.

Pieper was able to help tremendously in bringing about these changes as recent as 2023, and has reflected on what a long and productive journey it has truly been.

“In the early years, getting enough meetings and information to know what was going on at St. Joe’s was challenging because we didn’t meet often or long enough to know what was going on,” Pieper stated. “That was in the very early years. It was challenging because we were doing behavior modification at the early stages, and then I think once we hired a person that was the clinician-type as the director, that’s when we started modeling the treatment for the children after boys town. So that was quite the transition. Of course it was challenging to get facilities that would make it possible to treat the more severe children, which was a big part of building two current modern housing units.”

While the SJCH Board of Directors will have to move forward with giant shoes to fill, both Pieper and Meyer were both composed and confident that the facility remains in good hands, and will continue to grow with improving the lives of children and their families throughout the entire state.

“When you go by the mission, it’s like you want to be a part of it and make it better if you can,” Pieper said. “That’s the big thing. It was always about needing to work on this, and work on that. Right now I think we have people in place on the Board who are actively working on things that are important. I would like to see it get to a place where funding is adequate to pursue all the activities that we find important here. At this point in time we can’t do that, but that would be a huge wish and I do see that being a possibility. I think once we smooth out the transitions, development and conjunction with the Wyoming Catholic Ministry Foundation, I think it will get even better.”

The question then turned to what will be missed the most about Pieper’s retirement. Meyer noted that despite how much he will truly be missed, his intellect, compassion and patience will always be present at SJCH.

“I’m going to always hear Dr. Pieper’s voice in my head,” Meyer said with a smile. “Particularly when we are looking at funding, financials and the piece about development and funding. Dr. Pieper was always pushing us to commit and further invest in our development and fundraising efforts. I’m always going to hear that in my head. What would Dr. Pieper do? While he won’t be present, he will be present in my mind and the minds of other Board members. It’s always been a comfortable environment, and a lot of that is because of him, his presence and participation. Dr. Pieper’s values are about taking care of children and their families. It isn’t just demonstrated in his role at St Joe’s, but he has carried out these values in all the work that he does both with his profession and as a supporter. It has always been about how to care for kids, families and community members. I see Dr. Pieper as a role model and I think others should look to him like that as well. He embodies what it means to walk your values. He embodies that in everything that he does and has done. I’ll always admire that.”