David Lee Epley Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

David Lee Epley, age 70, passed away on May 24, 2022. He was born in East Lansing, Michigan to Dr. Dean G. Epley and Pauline Lawton Epley. He spent his childhood in Memphis, TN; Miami, FL; Athens, WV; and Peoria, IL. When his father obtained a one-year Fulbright Grant to teach in Malaysia, he took his wife and his five youngest children with him. The two oldest remained in the US stationed with the military at different US Army posts. To graduate from high school on time, David returned early to the US and completed the 12th grade in New Philadelphia, OH where he lived with his grandmother. Upon graduation, he returned to Illinois to live with his family, who was at the time moving to Monmouth, IL. In 1971, David was drafted into the US Army and trained and completed operations with the 82nd Airborne Division, where he accrued numerous “jumps” over his two-year stint. Upon discharge, he returned once again to Monmouth and worked for a dog food manufacturing company, a small boat construction company, and a metal culvert construction company. Wanting more job opportunities, he moved to Miami in 1974 where a sister lived. He enrolled in heavy equipment training and worked in construction for several years. He later became involved in a management company (inspections, installations, maintenance, collections) and subsequently moved to Georgia with the company in 1993. His love for motorcycling was born in Miami and it persisted for the remainder of his life. During his “romance” he owned several bikes until he encountered Gold Wing, his eternal love. At the time of his death, the odometer of his last bike read 238,658 miles! During his lifetime he literally traveled around the world, visited every state except Alaska, mostly by motorcycle, and rode a Gold Wing through each of the 67 counties in Florida and the 152 counties in Georgia. He and several close friends visited National Parks across the country, attended major motorcycle gatherings (Sturgis, Daytona, and others), and obtained the Iron Butt award for completing 1000 miles in less than 24 hours. He was active in many local Gold Wing activities, holding various positions in the local club. Many of his rides were fundraisers for childhood disorders or other care-driven organizations (a seed planted in his teen years from several weeks of being a counselor at a Muscular Dystrophy Camp in New Mexico with his aunt). Just prior to his passing, David was planning a road trip with his best friend to a Louisiana event. David also loved being on the water, whether it was cruising around most of the Caribbean Islands, including Cuba, or fishing, preferably along the Florida Keys rather than in fresh water. In 1982 he won first place in a noted tournament with the largest catch of the day – a sailfish. His dream upon retirement on his 70th birthday was to travel in an RV to national parks he had not previously visited and assist in whatever capacity he could to maintain them. Survivors include two sisters, Dr. Deanna Epley of Tallahassee, FL, and Laura (Ron) Selken of Santa Maria, CA; three brothers, Paul (Virginia) of Peoria, IL, Tom of Albuquerque, NM, and Bryan of Monmouth, IL; four nieces, Dr. Jennifer (Justin) Sanders of Corpus Christi, TX, Sarah Epley of Los Angeles, CA, and Lauren Epley and Heather Epley of Albuquerque, NM; two nephews, Andrew Epley of Tallahassee, FL, and Brad Selken of Colorado Springs, CO; and numerous cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents and one brother, John. David’s presence will be greatly missed by his family and many friends. His ashes will be distributed at sea and along a Caribbean zipline, another passion, during a family cruise.

David Lee Epley

July 29, 1951 - May 24, 2022