John Epps died peacefully after a long illness on June 24, 2020 in Denver, Colorado in the presence of his wife, Ann, and a friend. He was a loving husband, a brother, a theologian, a consultant, and a teacher in the fields of international strategic business and group process facilitation.
Born June 30, 1939 in Charleston, South Carolina, John graduated as valedictorian from Newberry High School and received a B.A. in English at the Citadel, Charleston, South Carolina, where as a “distinguished military student,” he graduated third in his class in 1961. Interested in exploring additional academic disciplines, he became a graduate student at Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas, where he earned a B.D. and a Ph.D. in Systematic Theology, graduating in 1964. John met his wife of 55 years, Ann, at Southern Methodist University where she was an undergraduate student.
They moved to Chicago to join the Institute of Cultural Affairs (ICA) in 1972 and were subsequently invited to move to Southeast Asia, where John took up the post of ICA Regional Research and Training Director, based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Following a life-long concern for social justice, John and Ann enjoyed working in support of community development projects across Southeast Asia as well as teaching methods of group planning and non-confrontational dialogue to business, government, and non-profit organizations across the region. Their active interest in enabling communication bridges across diverse cultural, socio-economic, age, and background differences led them to become founders of the International Association of Facilitators in 1994. During his more than 20 years living in Asia, John also taught online graduate school courses in international business strategy for the University of Maryland.
John’s love of writing and a desire to look below the surface to discover the wonder and meaning of ordinary life led him to write and publish two volumes of reflections about people and places he encountered around the world. His interest and scholarship in theology led him to write and publish The Theology of Surprise. Sharing a love of classical music, John and Ann enjoyed playing the clarinet, along with frequent attendance at symphony concerts in Kuala Lumpur. After John’s retirement in 2016, they moved to Denver, Colorado, where they had served as co-directors of the Rocky Mountain Region of the Institute of Cultural Affairs in the mid-1980’s. There they have enjoyed many hikes in the Colorado mountains and engaged in various discussion groups of international friends and colleagues.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Margaret Elizabeth Wallace, and John Law Epps and survived by his wife, Ann, and his brother, Charlie (Gail), and niece, Katie.
He will be buried in the Columbarium of the Montview Boulevard Presbyterian Church, Denver. A small memorial service for family and friends will occur at a time to be determined. In accordance with his wishes, donations can be made to the Institute of Cultural Affairs www.ica-usa.org/donate.html, or the Montview Boulevard Presbyterian Church of Denver, Colorado www.montview.org.
Posted in: Monarch Society
Posted on: 2020-06-24
Link to original obituary: https://www.monarchsociety.com/obituary/john-epps-jr