Epp, John H. (1877-1951)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1951 Dec 20 p. 3

Birth date: 1877 Feb 1

text of obituary:

Funeral at Hillsboro For Pastor-Evangelist

REV. JOHN H. EPP OF HUTCHINSON CALLED TO REWARD, DECEMBER 16

Rev. John H. Epp, 74, retired evangelist, minister and teacher, died at his home in Hutchinson early Sunday morning, Dec. 16, after a lengthy illness.

In accordance with his request, funeral services and interment — held Tuesday afternoon — took place at the Hillsboro Mennonite church, where he had served as pastor from 1914 to 1941. The services were in charge of Rev. H. T. Unruh of North Newton and Dr. J. E. Hartzler of Goshen, Ind.

Rev. Epp was born at Henderson, Nebr. on Feb. 1, 1877 and received his elementary education in that community. After completing the normal course at Bethel College, he spent a number of years as teacher and principal at the Hoffnungsau and Hillsboro academies. During the early 1940's he served in a number of smaller pastorates in western Kansas and edited the German Sunday School quarterlies of the General Conference.

Besides his wife, three sons and two daughters and their families survive.

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Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1952 Jan 24 p. 9

text of obituary:

REV. JOHN H. EPP

John H. Epp, son of Henry and Sarah Friesen Epp, was born in York county, Nebraska, February 1, 1877. He died at 1:00 a.m., December 16, 1951, at his home in Hutchinson, 130 West 25th Ave., at the age of 74 years, 10 months and 15 days.

He grew to manhood in York county, Nebraska. Alter being graduated from the normal and theological courses at Bethel college, Newton, Kansas, he began his ministry in 1903, preaching his first sermon in a sod school house at Goodland, Kansas.

He was united in marriage with Helena Ratzlaff in the Hoffnungsau church near Buhler, July 27, 1904. Into this marriage seven children were born, five boys and two girls. Two sons preceded him in death, one in infancy, and Waldo, the oldest child, died in 1930.

From 1904 to 1907, Rev. and Mrs. Epp labored in the mission field near Clinton, Oklahoma with the Cheyenne Indians, going from there to Hoffnungsau, where he was the first teacher in the academy.

In 1913, he and family moved to Hillsboro, where he was principal of Hillsboro academy for a number of years and pastor of the First Mennonite church for 27 years. Then for two and one-half years he served the Mennonite church at Mingo, in Thomas county, Kansas, and the following five years he was pastor of the Mennonite church in Kingman. For many years he served on the board of directors of the hospitals at Hillsboro and Goessel and on the board of directors of Bethel College.

He retired from the active ministry and moved to Hutchinson in April, 1948, where he spent the remainder of his life. He continued there as an editor of a Sunday School quarterly.

Surviving him are his widow of Hutchinson, two daughters, Martha, teacher in Denver high school; Hilda, empolyed [sic] in Wichita; three sons, Otto of Tribune, Hugo of Wichita, and Ordand [sic Orlando] of Washington, D. C.; five grandchildren; one brother, Peter H. Epp of York, Nebraska; one sister, Mrs. George W. Doell of Henderson, Neb.; a number of other relatives, and a host of friends.

Rev. Epp early in life accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as his Guide and Saviour, being baptized in 1900 by his uncle, Peter Friesen, elder of the Bethesda Mennonite church in Henderson, Nebraska. He began teaching Sunday School classes at the age of 17. The most blessed time in his life was work in school with the young people, to teach them the simple truths of God's word and help them prepare for a Christian life.

In his church work he was very sincere. The welfare of the whole congregation, both young and old, was on his heart. He enjoyed the preaching work. His sermons were Christ centered. In preparation of them he put his whole soul. Often when sleep would fail him at nights, he would get up and work on his sermons. He enjoyed to go and preach wherever he was asked. He often mentioned that had he a chance to live his life over he would devote it again to the service of the Lord.

He became ill in February of this year and all that some of the best nurses and doctors in the nation could do, could not halt the progress of the illness of his body. Even though at times he suffered intense pain he was always a good patient and remained a child of God. He repeatedly said, “the most beautiful thing in life is to pass out and be in glory with the Lord…for me to live is Christ, for me to die is gain.”

The Mennonite obituary: 1952 Jan 29 p. 66