John Dillard Epling

John Dillard Epling, 77, of Cowpens, South Carolina, formerly of Madison, West Virginia, peacefully departed this life on April 25, 2018, at the Spartanburg Hospice House after a struggle with cancer.

John was born on October 22, 1940, in Jeffrey, West Virginia, to the late Arnett Epling and Margaret Dillard Epling. He graduated from Scott High School with the class of 1958. He was a Vietnam veteran and retired from the United States Navy after 20 years of service and also retired from the West Virginia Boone County Health Department as a sanitarian.
John enjoyed being outdoors, hunting, camping, fishing and riding his motorcycle. He loved watching NASCAR and the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was an avid reader of World War II history and enjoyed doing sudoku puzzles. He loved his family, friends, and his little dog Izzy. John was a good man with a big heart, a great sense of humor, and had the ability to make others feel special and loved.

He was predeceased by his parents, Arnett and Margaret; his brother, Philip; and sister, Carolyn Jo.

Left to cherish his memory are his loving wife of 30 years, Carol Lee Epling; daughters, Cammy Benner (John) of Santa Paula, California, Becky Sebesta of Oxnard, California; Stepson, Richard Hurst of Gaffney, South Carolina; sons, Michael Epling (Debbie) of Madison, West Virginia, and Jeff Epling of Texas; grandchildren, Eric (Elizabeth), Nicolas (Krystal), Jacob, Zachary, Zoe, Joel and Ashley; great-grandchildren, Eric Jr., Eli, Ethan, and Nathanael; as well as many nieces, nephews, and friends.

The Epling family would like to thank Spartanburg Regional Hospice for the wonderful care, comfort and compassion given to John and his family during his illness.

Services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, May 4, 2018, at Handley Funeral Home, Danville, with burial services to follow at Boone Memorial Park, Madison.