Rev. Eldon John Epp, 72, of Wichita, Kansas, passed away Sunday, October 29, 2023 at his home. He was born on September 1, 1951 in Hutchinson, Kansas, the son of John Regier and Katharina (Ediger) Epp.
Eldon grew up on a cattle farm south of Buhler. He graduated from Buhler High School with the class of 1969. Eldon later attended Hutchinson Community College and Bethel College, where he received his undergraduate.
Following his schooling, Eldon worked on a year-round team managing Swan Lake Christian Camp near Freeman, South Dakota for 2 ½ years. He then headed off to the Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Indiana and graduated with his Master’s degree of Divinity. The summer following his seminary, Eldon student pastored at First Mennonite Church of Christian in Moundridge. In 1981, he started pastoring at the new Mennonite Church in Salina and in 1988 went to Ames, Iowa for a ½ time post with the campus-related Mennonite Fellowship there.
In 1993, Eldon began two years of chaplaincy training at Wesley Medical Center in Wichita, followed by three years at the Manhattan, KS Mennonite Church. Eldon moved to Wichita in 2007, and in 2009, he began pastoring at First Mennonite Church in Ransom, Kansas until 2021. His most recent positions were Chaplain for Bethesda Home in Goessel and Associate Pastor at Lorraine Avenue Mennonite Church in Wichita.
Eldon served on the stewardship team for the Western District Conference and was a member of the Christian Peacemaker Team.
He is survived by his sister, Dee Graber (Gary Clingenpeel), her daughter, Tammy (Brian) Coatney and their daughter, McKenna (Cannon) Kern; brother, Don (Annette) Epp, and their sons, Henry Epp (Sara Lewis), and Andrew (Taisha) Epp and their children, Isaiah, Izabella, and Lincoln.
Eldon was preceded in death by his parents; infant brother, Raymond Epp; and great-nephew, Clay Coatney.