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Middle Border Sun
Obituary For My Mother, Eva Belle James Epp
Posted by:
Todd Epp on
October 22, 2010 at
11:11AM EST
 She is survived by her husband, Rodney D. Epp of Augusta; her son Todd D. Epp of Harrisburg, South Dakota; her sisters Virginia Tufte and Sally Glidden of Los Angeles, California; sister Betty Beckley of Ainsworth, Nebraska; daughter in law Donna M. Epp of Harrisburg; and grandchildren Sarah Marie Epp and Matthew Zachariah David Epp of Harrisburg. Belle, as she preferred to be called, was born December 24, 1927 in Tilden, Nebraska. Her parents were Micah D. James and Sarah “Sally” Elizabeth Bartee James, both Virginia natives who moved to Nebraska just after the turn of the Twentieth Century, where they farmed near Tilden. Belle’s father died when she was only ten years old, leaving a large family for her mother to support during the depths of the Great Depression in dust bowl Nebraska. Belle graduated from Tilden High School in 1945. One of her classmates was Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Richie Ashburn. After high school, she was involved in a serious car accident and was presumed dead. She broke her pelvis and doctors told her she would never walk again. With the love and encouragement of her mother Sally, Belle was able to walk again, even though her pelvis healed with one side higher than the other. She prided herself on the fact that she could walk without a limp. After jobs at banks in Tilden and Omaha, Nebraska and also at Western Electric in Omaha, she met Rodney D. Epp of Hampton, Nebraska. They wed May 25, 1958 in Omaha. On December 8, 1958, Belle gave birth to Todd David, their only child. In 1959, the couple moved to Yankton, South Dakota, where Rodney began his career with Kaneb Pipeline. While in Yankton, Belle was a devoted mother, tutoring her son in English and writing. She attended nearly every one of Todd’s baseball and basketball games, every swim meet and track meet Todd competed in across the Upper Midwest, and every band concert Todd played in. She often carted a car load of swimmers or basketball players across Yankton or South Dakota to the next game, swim meet, or practice. She was also usually one of the moms who transported Todd and his classmates on field trips and provided snacks as a room mother. Though a house wife most of her life, Belle had wide-ranging interests. She was active in a number of activities, including in Yankton the community concert series, serving as a Cub Scout den mother, and being vice president of the high school band parents association. She was also an avid bowler, a fixture on the Friday Morning Methodist Women’s League. For a time she worked as an elementary school tutor in Yankton, a job she loved. While in Yankton, Belle and her family regularly attended the United Methodist Church. She even braved teaching middle schoolers in Sunday school. In August 1976, Belle and her family moved to Augusta after Rodney received a promotion to Kaneb’s head office in Wichita, Kansas. In Augusta, she was an early supporter and campaign volunteer for U.S. Representative Bob Whittaker, R-Kansas Fifth District, helping him win his first term in 1978. Her sister Virginia, a child prodigy and a Ph.D. in English, called Belle the James’ family’s wit. Belle was always good with a quick quip or funny observation about just about anything. Her verbal abilities also translated into being a voracious crossword and Scrabble player. A visit by any of Todd’s college friends to the Epp household meant a competitive round of Scrabble with Belle. She also prided herself on her Palmer Method perfect handwriting, which looked like it came directly out of the training manual. Belle loved birds and bird watching. Belle always had a birding book nearby and Rodney installed bird feeders near the windows so she could enjoy them. When she lived in Yankton, she accompanied Todd and Rodney on their fishing trips on Lewis and Clark Lake. Throughout her life, Belle stayed in touch with her large family. Family gatherings were often spent around the table telling jokes, singing, or making the secret James family recipe egg noodles. In the mid 1970s, Rodney bought her an electric organ, which she played daily, proud to be able to conquer increasingly difficult pieces of music. She was an avid NFL and college basketball enthusiast, a fan of the Kansas City Chiefs and the Kansas Jayhawks. Often the only woman in the pool, she was known to win the Kaneb NFL pick ‘ems. Belle was preceded in death by her father Micah, her mother Sally, her sisters Margaret, Oneita, Mary, and Kate and brothers Millard and Bill. Visitation will be from 6-8 p.m., Sunday, October 24, 2010 at the Headley Funeral Chapel in Augusta, Kansas. A service will be held at the Brockhouse-Harland Funeral Home in Tilden, Nebraska at 2 p.m., Tuesday, October 26, 2010 followed by burial in the Odd Fellows Cemetery in the James family plot. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be sent in Belle’s name to Harry Hynes Memorial Hospice, 313 S. Market, Wichita, KS 67202. By Todd Epp, her loving son 
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