Richard Epes McMurran Jr., known as Epes to his close friends and family, a lifelong resident of the Hilton Village area and true Southern gentleman, has passed away surrounded by his best friends and the many cousins who adored him.
A devoted son to his parents, Richard McMurran and Martha Terrell McMurran, Epes was a man who marched to his own drummer. A rock and roll enthusiast with an encyclopedic knowledge of classic rock, he was especially passionate about the Beatles. His grasp of Beatles trivia was so deep and extensive he could have hosted his own radio show or YouTube channel, holding forth for hours on the most obscure details and stories that even devoted fans had never heard.
Epes attended Hilton Elementary and Warwick High School before earning his degree in History and Political Science from Emory University (1974-1978). He managed a RadioShack store after college before finding his calling as a residential real estate appraiser with Barker and Associates Inc., where he worked for over 37 years.
A dedicated Baltimore Colts fan and avid collector of sports memorabilia—including treasured signed footballs and unusual baseball and football cards—Epes also ran, water-skied, and played tennis and basketball as a young man. An amateur guitarist himself, he amassed a collection of seventy-three guitars that were among his most prized possessions.
Epes had a passion for concerts, festivals, interesting cultural events and adventures. Running in the Peachtree Road Race, dressing for Scottish festivals, costuming for Elvis parades, and going to the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta and The Trinity Site were all on his list. He was one of the early attendees of Burning Man when it was still a true countercultural gathering. His annual Christmas card with a photo of him in costume was eagerly awaited by all on his mailing list.
Epes was always generous with his time and knowledge, sweet and kind to everyone he met, and effortlessly cool in a way that can’t be faked. He will be deeply missed by his family, the Hilton Gang, and all who got to know him. The world is a little less interesting without him in it.
Thanks to all his caregivers, sitters, nurses, and doctors! In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to The National Kidney Foundation. Interment will take place at Peninsula Memorial Park on November 22nd at 11:00 AM.
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Epes abides…….”I don’t know about you, I take comfort in that. It’s good knowin he’s out there…..somewhere…..across the sands of time,” free from a body that had failed him.
Bowling is a lot like life, “Strikes & Gutters, ups and downs, am I right,” Epes?
Epes followed the 1975 Rolling Stones tour to Atlanta, the Gator Bowl, and back to the Hampton Coliseum. Epes’ dad was comped a pair of front row seats for the Hampton show; Epes invited me to go with him. Thanks Epes.
Do you know how many steps a Bison needs to reach 40 mph? Epes knew……Runway economics? Epes’ll school you.
Did you ever see any part of the series of Christmas cards Epes sent? Not just 2 or 3, but a decade or mores worth; kinda like crop circles or Stonehinge. You see Epes knew that life was not a bunch of unconnected incidents. “Instead there’s this like lattice o’ coincidence that lays on top of everything. What I mean is suppose you’re thinkin about a plate o’ shrimp. Suddenly someone’ll say, like, plate, or shrimp, or plate o’ shrimp out of the blue…..no explanation. …….No point in lookin for one either.”
He’s out there…………somewhere………..across the sands of time, driving his 1960’s Plymouth Belvedere, with push button shift…………goin back to the Burning Man festival when the time is right, the roads are dry, and the sky is clear……he’s free…………