Gary Epperson

Obituary For Gary Epperson

Gary W. (he hated his middle name) Epperson was taken from his loving family too soon on July 24th, 2023. Born Dec. 17, 1965, in Frankfurt, Germany, to Carl James Epperson and Barbara Evelyn Hayes Epperson (both deceased), brother to Carl James Epperson Jr (deceased), Harley Dale Epperson of Columbus, GA and Pam Epperson Mantovani of Atlanta, GA. He was husband to Margaret and father to Alyssa and Gary William. Gary lived a bright life, full of adventure and defined by service to others. His only religion was love and service to others. He started as a firefighter at 17 and never lost his desire to put the wet on the red. He was usually the first man in and the last one out, unless there were alligators (he did not deal with those). He join the US Army in 1983 where he picked up his life long motto - Improvise, Adapt, Overcome. When he was in medical training, he was partnered with a monkey that liked to bite him, so he didn't feel a bit of guilt about having to knock that "sumbitch" out Gary had a great gift as a storyteller, regaling friends and family with stories of his father’s stint as a prison guard and extra in The Longest Yard (1974), his time in the military (when he could neither confirm nor deny making a delivery to a secret base), or volunteering to help his fellow firefighters with recovery at Ground Zero after 9/11. Gary had an infectious laugh, loved BBQ, bourbon (both cheap and not), music of all kinds but especially Snoop, his family, and all the pleasures of home. He was looking forward to becoming a great-great-uncle and making his great-great kiddos laugh until they peed in their pants. Gary was exceedingly proud of his family - blood and chosen. Every time he heard a siren (and he could tell them apart easily) he would say it was the call of his people. In 2015 he met his wife, Margaret Epperson through an online site. Neither one anticipated their love story. Their wedding ceremony took place during Hurricane Irma on September 11, 2017, in between emergency calls, but they made it official in front of Judge Bubba Lamb on September 14, 2017. Gary loved and cherished Margaret, who was instrumental in getting him to broaden his horizons by eating exotic foods like sushi and anything green, going to musicals, watching Star Wars (not a fan), Star Trek (more of a fan), playing board games and meeting people where they were without judgement. Gary was a consummate caregiver, friend, brother, father, uncle, and husband. He will be dearly missed.

Live Stream Links