Memories of Dad

Marci- Creating memories and establishing family traditions were important to Dad.  The last few days we have spent a lot of time together crying, laughing, and remembering the patriarch of our family.  Among those memories are cowboy boots and corduroys, hershey chocolate bars and potato chips with ketchup, famous grey Sweat pants and caffeine free pepsi, carnation instant breakfast and Dad’s Saturday morning pancakes.

Traditions

Clark- Dad loved and established many family traditions that he wanted us to make sure we carried on. One of Dad’s favorite traditions was 
loading in car on Christmas Eve to look at Christmas Lights.  We went to Salina, Redmond, and Aurora, and it felt like we didn’t miss a block.

Cassy- Camping: For the past eight years we have held our Eppich family reunion in Hobble Creek Canyon.  Kids and Grandkids alike loved this tradition and looked forward to it every year.  Dad always arrived first and scoped out the best site to pitch his tent and then helped the rest of us get our tents set up as we arrived.  He spent the next two days teaching the kids to gather fire wood and start campfires, cooking tin foil dinners, teaching campfire songs, and playing in the creek with the grandkids.

Marci- It was very important to Dad that we take a family vacation every year. Over the years we have been all across the United States and into Canada. Some of those vacations have incuded Nauvoo, New York, Washington D.C., Niagra Falls, Calgary, Vancouver, Seattle, Yellowstone, and Disneyland. Last fall we took a wonderful trip to Goblin Valley where dad hiked and climbed right along with all the grandkids up and over and all around. Dad is known in our family as the ultimate sight-seeer. On any vacation he loved to hit every scenic turnout and monument. At one point dad’s obsession with seeing every last thing had driven Cassy crazy and she finally declared that “Once you’ve seen one tree you’ve seen them all.”

Karli- Skiing: Dad grew up skiing in the mountains of Ogden.  He would ride the bus to the ski resort every Saturday.  When I was 5 he started a tradition of taking our family on an annual ski trip and he would check Chari and Me out of school to go on the high school ski trips that he supervised.  It used to drive Dad crazy that I would just go fast straight down the hill because he liked to leisurly make his way down going back and forth across the hill.  I wasn’t big enough for ski poles so he would extend his pole to me and pull me along behind him.

Chari- Fourth of July was one of our favrorite holidays.  We would meet at Jolley’s Ranch up Hobble Creek Canyon.  Dad would grill marinated turkey steaks while the kids played kickball, boche ball, ladder golf, and collected their prizes from the fishing pond.  After lunch Grandpa could always be found wading in the creek hand in hand with one of the kids. 

Work

Cassy- Dad taught us by example.  I remember one Saturday morning one of my chores was to sweep the kitchen floor.  As I started my work, Dad was watching me and jumped in and said, “Let me show you how that is done!”  He proceeded to take the broom and sweep the entire floor while I stood watching.

Dad always came to help all of us when we would move from one place to another.  He was the first one to help mopping floors and washing walls.

Chari- We all got to have Dad as our math teacher in high school. It was fun to be able to ride to school with him in the mornings and frequently waiting for him after school for a ride home. One day in class, I remember taking a test and was stuck on a problem for quite a while he gave me little hints and said as much as he could say until I could figure out this problem. Dad loved being a teacher.  He enjoyed working with and supporting the students and wanted to see them succeed. He was over my class’s junior prom and I remember him staying late to help us decorate the gym for prom.

Clark- “He gave me the only “D” I ever got.”  Dad always had a project going and taught us to work as we helped him.  He built a carport, and then turned it into a garage.  We worked on the Garden together, finished the basement, cut and hauled firewood, getting out and putting away the swamp cooler and the roof, and painting the house.

Chari- My son Tyson also remembers working with Grandpa. We have had Dad come over to our house a few times to help us do some repairs. As soon as he walks in the door with his tools in hand, Tyson runs to his room, grabs his toolbox and works right alongside of him. We are so grateful for his example and willingness to serve in others behalf.

Spending Time

Karli- Dad loved to spend time with our family.  It didn’t matter what we were doing, he felt like we were successful if we were spending time together. Dad always was so supportive of all of us in our activities. He traveled all over Utah following our Volleyball, Basketball, Track, and Cross-Country events.  He attended our concerts, school activities, piano recitals, and church activities. 

A few days before I was supposed to go to Girls Camp for the first time I had my tonsils out and had complications so the doctor said that I should go to Girls Camp.  I was so worried that if I didn’t go, I wouldn’t be at the same level as my friends. Dad said that he would take me on the hike so that I could meet that requirement and then bring me home after.  After the hike, I begged him to let me stay.  So he drove all the way home, packed me a bag and brought it back up to me.  He would come up every day and bring me the medicine I needed and check on me. 

Cassy: Dad loved to make us squirm and scream and laugh by tickling us.  When I asked my daughter Lucy what one of her favorite memories of Grandpa is she said, “I liked it when grandpa would tickle me and make me laugh.”  As the grandkids would walk by the “Grandpa Chair”  Dad would reach out, scoop them up, and tickle them.

Cassy: Dad loved when a new grand baby was born into the family.  He loved to hold them and was the first to take them when they were crying and walk and walk with them.  I remember a time when Brayden and I were home for a weekend from college.  Coy was really little and got sick while we were there.  I was pregnant with Ian and sick myself.  Mom and Dad encouraged me to stay at home while Brayden went back to school for a few extra days so they could help me with Coy.  I remember one night, Coy was not sleeping and cried all night long.  Dad took him so I could get some sleep and push him around the house in the stroller for hours.  When I woke up the next morning Dad was asleep in the chair with Coy asleep in the stroller propped up next to him.  It had been a long night and Dad had to go to work that morning and I am sure he did with a smile.

Marci: Since Mom and Dad moved to Springville, the kids have enjoying coming swimming at Grandma and Grandpa’s pool.  Several of the kids remembered how much they loved going swimming with Grandpa especially when he would throw them into the air and they would land in the water making a big splash! AUDREY

Clark- Dad taught me how to golf but not well enough that I could ever beat him.  He make it a point to come to St. George and spend time golfing with me.  He taught me to count every stroke and keep and honest golf score even when playing by myself.

Cassy: Dad loved to golf.  In recent years he spend many, many summer mornings at Hobble Creek golf course, which he loved.  He wanted to instill that love same love in his grandchildren.  He would go to the DI to find clubs that he could use for the boys and would be so excited to give the clubs to them.  Coy and Ian have fond memories of going golfing with Grandpa.  Ian said, “I loved it when we went golfing together and he would teach us how to swing and how to stand and hold the club and then we would always go get ice cream at Wendy’s.  Coy said, “I loved going golfing with Grandpa and he would always teach us new techniques.”

Clark- He was always my scout leader.  He helped me build my pinewood derby cars and I always did well.  One year I even made it to the district competition.  We didn’t miss a Klondike, Jamboree, Timberline, or any summer camp.  We did a lot of hiking, overnight backpacking, and merit badge classes.  Dad was always there.  He made sure that I got my Eagle and I have been grateful for the encouragement and support he gave. 

Marci- Dad liked to play games and figure out puzzles. Kaylee remembers coming over on Sundays and Checking out the current crossword or suduko puzzles from the newspaper that he was working on. When we were young we remember long games of risk—I don’t think he ever took it easy on us because he would always win. I rememer games of Uno and ticket to ride, and he often would sit and play monopoly Jr. With the grandkids.

Chari- We loved watching how Dad treated our mother with so much respect. He always held her hand as they were walking and opened her doors. Mom said that he even opened the door for her when she took him to the emergency room.  He took her on weekly dates and us kids loved to tag along when given the opportunity.

Gospel Teaching

Cassy: Dad loved the gospel and embraced all aspects of it and shared his enthuasiam and love with us as well.

Last year, my 11 year old son started indexing.  When Dad’s stake challenged its members to start indexing, Dad took the challenge.  A competition began between Coy and Grandpa to see who could index the most names.  Coy said, “I thought it was fun how Grandpa and I had an indexing competition.  Every week when we visited him he would always ask me how many names I had.”

Chari-It was always such a comfort that we could go to Dad whenever we needed a priesthood blessing. I remember before school each year dad would give each of us a fathers blessing for help throughout the year. We each have received blessing when we were sick, in preparation for our marriages, and blessing of comfort. We truly have felt the love from our Father in heaven conveyed through him as he has used the priesthood to bless and heal us.

Karli- Dad loved BYU. He had lots of good memories that he would share with us.  He loved taking our family to Brick Oven and would tell us how it used to be called “Heaps-a-pizza” and how he and his friends in the dorms would order a pizza every night and watch MASH.  When I was getting ready to start at BYU he took me around to show me all of the buildings and help me find where my classes were.  He was so excited. After a couple of years at BYU I decided to transfer to UVU and he kept asking me, “Are you sure you want to leave BYU?”  When I was able to reply that I had prayed about it and knew I needed to do it.  He replied, “Then you better do it.” 

Clark: On one of our vacations to Nauvoo, we were able to see the “City of Joseph” Pageant.  Dad thouroughly enjoyed this pageant and we had to go out the next day and find the sound recording of the music from the pageant.  I remember Dad’s favorite line was “The things men believe in are the things they do.”  Dad sang and hummed this to himself all the time.  We all know he lived by this. 

Marci: We are greatful that our dad was a pure example of presiding and teaching the gospel to us. Dad made sure that the Savior was the center of our learning at home.  Holding Family Home Evening was always a priority to him. Among the many gospel centered lessons we taught each other, we also remember the little activities that dad had us participate in. I can clearly picture dad standing over a mason jar with a clothes-pin held to his nose trying to test his accuracy I’m sure that even then, as the tallest and consequently the farthest from the Jar he probably still got the most pins into the Jar. As our own families have grown we have frequently had the opportunity to have FHE with Grandpa and Grandma. Grandma always shared a lesson and Grandpa always shared his testimony. We all knew of Dad’s love of the gospel and we know that he had a strong testimony.

From the Primary Song (The Family Is of God) we find this line: “A father’s place is to preside, provide, To love and teach the gospel to his children.  A father leads in family prayer to share Their love for Father in Heaven.  God gave us families to help us become what He wants us to be— This is how He share His love, for the family is of God.”