Anne Marie Epp

Foundational to Anne’s way of life was:

• Colossians 3:17 – And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him.

• Psalm 34:8 – O taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man that trusteth in Him.

Anne was endowed with many gifts and had many interests: gourmet cooking, gardening sewing, music, reading (both German and English), researching for her fields of interest, long walks in nature settings, reaching out to people, but above all the family & pursuing godliness through the Word of God and prayer.

Anne Marie Epp was born to the best of parents, Abram David Epp and Anna (Löewen) Epp, September 24, 1923 in Alexanderwohl, Ukraine, a well established village in the Molotchna Colony. Under Catherine the Great, the area was settled largely by German Immigrants, among them many Mennonites. They were an industrious people and many became “landed gentry”, among them some of our close relatives, and the Ukraine became productive, being known as “the Bread Basket of Europe.” But Revolutionaries of the day plotted & planned to overthrow the System and were successful through Terrorist acts. (Sounds like today.) Many people were massacred & many sent into exile and lost all possessions & freedom. This process continued, but our parents decided to leave home, family & friends with their two daughters, Erna, age 4, & Anne Marie, age 1, for Canada. They arrived in Montreal, July 4, 1925 via Empress of Scotland & settled on an irrigation mixed farm in Coaldale Alberta.

In Coaldale, Anne obtained her Sunday School, German School, Public School, Bible School Education & an introduction to life’s ups and downs. She felt that in her public school experiences, she had highly qualified teachers. She was successful in obtaining numerous awards for her fine artwork, creative writing, & other ventures such as drama and choral part singing. To her, family was the most important social institution, and as second eldest of six children, she got plenty of clinical experience which started with brother Abe, 3 years younger. The two would sit huddled together. She would sing, tell stories, play—no end to her & our imaginations as Sue, Martha & Betty came along. The whole family loved to sing! Dad & Erna played organ and/or guitar, Anne contributed with her alto voice and we all pitched in. We loved and were loved and were loyal to the family. Also, we were taught to say “I’m sorry” if difference occurred and move on.

At age 10, Anne accepted Jesus as her Saviour. Then at age 13, tragedy hit the family. Her Father, the foreman for rebuilding the Coaldale High School, was killed by a falling beam—he died within the hour. Anne & Abe were sent from school to the hospital where they sat on the doorstep, hearing Father’s agonizing groans while Dr. D. Epp, in vain, tried to save his life. This left an indelible mark on her & her family and with it, personal responsibilities to her family. Then at the age of 16, she followed the Lord’s command to be baptized, and joined the Coaldale MB Church—throughout her life she remained a faithful church member, taught Sunday School, sang in choirs, and ministered to young & old, befriending, helping, encouraging people in all walks of life.

Since Mother was blessed to have 5 daughters & 1 son, she found the physical work on the Coaldale farm, especially the irrigation, difficult and to get reliable hired help a problem, she arranged to rent out the farm & house and in 1943, moved to Yarrow, B.C. on a small berry & fruit farm with enough pasture to keep “a pet” Jersey cow that was bought from Herman Klassen. Anne was very involved in packing, moving & setting up our new home, picking berries, hops & making new friends, getting to know the community & serving the family & others. The 1948 flood in the Fraser Valley resulted in many changes including her family’s move to Vancouver in 1950. Mother & Anne went to Coaldale, sold the farm, and we had a new house built in Vancouver where we lived from 1950 – 1990. For a short period, Anne moved to Calgary to study & work but most of her employment years were spent in Vancouver, including her work as a civil servant at Heather Health Clinic. She continued her studies & working in Business Administration & Management. Also, working at CP Air provided for her additional travel opportunities. The work in medical & dental clinics were challenging & rewarding. One of her highlights in this area was with Dr. Ed Fast with whom she had many philosophical & theological discussions. He asked her to be a prayer warrior for his children which she gladly did. She also prayed for many other families & friends & especially her own family, including Abe & Martha’s families. She also appreciated her time as Culloden Church secretary. She made many lasting friendships wherever she worked.

Anne loved to travel & found interesting places on her own, negotiating good deals. Family members, including her Mother, were often her companions. She travelled extensively: various places in Canada, U.S.A., Europe, Hawaii, and the Caribbean. One of her early experiences was to a Dude Ranch (Okanagan) with sister Sue. Sue liked to ride, Anne did not. One of the staff convinced her to get on a horse, but the shadow of her sunbonnet flapped in the breeze & the horse “freaked out” and so did Anne. Another early adventure was to the undeveloped Garibaldi Park region with Mother & sister Erna – bumping along in the Land Rover “tour” in God’s glorious nature. In her last chapter of life, with failing energy, she spent considerable time reading God’s Word, devotional material & other books from our library.

Her employment years ended early in order to be companion & assistant to her aging Mother, which she did skillfully and with love. The end of April, Anne contracted a virulent infection (flu bug), which returned with a vengeance. Gradually, she became bedridden & required 24 hour care. As she had done for others, we tried to do for her. Her last 10 hours were spent at Surrey Memorial Hospital ER. She left us for Heaven, August 29 (Sat.) at 6:15 a.m. She was indeed a beloved daughter, sister, auntie to the family, & a dear friend to many. We will miss her.

But now she has joined the vast throng of believers and together will join in the praise of, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.”

Anne is predeceased by infant Brother in 1925, Father in 1937, Sister Erna in 1977, and Mother in 1992.

Left to mourn: Brother Abe (Lena); Sisters Sue, Martha (Ernie Enns); Betty; Nephews: Gordon (Bev) and family; Doug (Debbie) and family; Dan; Melvin (Marlene) and family; Graham; James (Cathy) and family.

Memorial Service for Anne Epp

I feel honored to say a few words today on behalf of my family. Auntie Anne was a model aunt and one that leaves us with wonderful memories which is truly a gift from God. I have numerous memories, but my earliest memory was when Auntie Anne, who did all sorts of cool things for her nephews, took me for a plane ride from Vancouver to Vancouver Island and back. Things like that made impressions, needless to say. But, I would have to say that as I grew older, it was the steady and quiet joy she had in life that made the strongest impressions. The things I think we all want and are looking for in this life. But, at the same time, not everybody finds it – primarily because they are looking in the wrong places.

One of the things that Anne did over the years is pick a theme verse for the year. Psalm 16:11 “You have made know to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” Anne’s life and the joy that she had was grounded in who God was to her. So in order to explain how one finds true meaning and joy in life as Anne, one must understand who God is and what our response to Him should be.

1. Joy Comes from Knowing God

• 1 John 1: 4 “We write this to make our joy complete.” Write what? The reality of Christ and having a relationship and fellowship with Christ. “Our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ.”

• We were all created with the longing and capacity to experience joy. As our Creator, God made us so that only He could fill that longing. Does everyone have joy? Obviously not. What keeps people from experiencing that joy? Sin. Sin ruins and distorts life as God intended. Worst of all, it separates us from God which brings with it eternal wrath and judgment—punishment for sin. Romans 6 – the wages of sin is death – speaking not only of physical death, but spiritual death.

• Yet despite our sin, God did not abandon His love toward us. 1 Timothy 2: 5-6, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all men.” Meaning—someone had to pay for the penalty of sin to satisfy the justice of God and also demonstrate His love. God sent Himself through Christ to be that perfect substitute for you and me.

• So what am I supposed to do with that? John 5:24, “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.” What does that have to do with joy? Believing and applying what Christ did for you so that you could be forgiven of sin puts you in the position of having a relationship with God and thus having the capacity once again to experience joy that only He can give.

• 75 years ago, at the age of 10, through a series of events, Anne Epp came to know God, not just with her mind, but with her heart as she recognized her need to be forgiven and trust Christ as her Saviour. That decision made a lasting and joyful impression.

• Her faith remained fresh. Want to know why? Because she understood God’s saving grace in her life. She knew what God had done for her, she experienced it, and as a result she treasured it. When you understand the seriousness of sin before God, and then know that God has forgiven you and continues to transform you, that brings great joy and contentment in your life. Another passage that was meaningful to Anne was Psalm 103 “Praise the Lord O my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy name. Praise the Lord O my soul and forget not all His benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”

• Some think that their sin is too great for God to forgive. Not true. The grace of God when applied is greater than any sin—that is the depth of God’s love and power.

2. Joy comes from depending on God

• James 1: 2-4 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

• The point here is not to get happy about difficulties in our lives, but to remain joyful knowing that through my difficulties, God is still in control and that He still loves me and He will use whatever it is I’m going through to accomplish good results—perseverance and godly character.

• Joy is not based on circumstances, whether or not you are having a good day.

• Doesn’t matter who you are—trials are inevitable. Ann was no exception to that—from losing her dad when she was young, to later in life dealing with health issues.

• There is joy in knowing that my suffering is not a waste. There is joy in knowing that God has promised to meet all my needs according to His riches. Even when we don’t understand why something happens, we can have confidence that God works everything out for good to those that love Him – Romans 8:28.

• When you depend on God, you experience the goodness of God.

• Some other verses that were meaningful to Anne were Psalm 138:7 “Though I walk through the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes, with your right you save me.” 2 Corinthians 12:0 “But he said to me, my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Josh. 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

3. Joy comes from obeying God

• John 15:11 “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” In order to know what Jesus is talking about, you have to go back one verse. “If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in His love.”

• When you have Christ in your life—He transforms our hearts and minds to do what we don’t naturally do – to love, to forgive, to experience peace in the midst of difficulties, to do what His Word tells us to do.

• Obedience to God’s word first of all isn’t just my effort to do it; it is my dependence on God’s power to do it. The other thing is that obedience to God doesn’t restrict us; it actually frees us and gives us joy. Why? Because when you are doing God’s will, you are pleasing God which is exactly what God created us to do which leads to joy. When you are not doing God’s will, you will always be unhappy and unsatisfied.

• So one of the keys to Anne’s joy and contentment is that she constantly pursued obedience to the God she loved so much. She constantly claimed promises from God’s Word—i.e. Psalm 18: 2 “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” Lamentations 3:22-23 “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Anne was not a perfect woman, but a woman that pursued holiness and obedience to God. God always blesses obedience to Him with joy.

4. Joy comes from hoping in God

• 2 Corinthians 4:16 “Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

• Anne finished well—and the reason is that she focused on the important things—the eternal things. That is why she had such a significant prayer life as she prayed for many family members and friends; that is why she loved to spend much time in the Word of God and to minister to others through teaching SS and singing in the choir. When she faced hardships, she knew they were only temporary and she looked forward to the day she would be with her Lord. 1 Tim. 6:7 “For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.”

• Anne didn’t fear death, but actually anticipated it. Death is not the end for Anne. Death for the Christian is the entrance into eternal joy in the presence of God. Death isn’t leaving home, it’s going home. Anne definitely understood this. . . the last time I visited her back in July, my family sang to her ‘Jesus loves me’ before we left and Auntie Anne barely could speak at that point, but she said, “Oh yes, He loves me and maybe I’ll meet Him tomorrow.” She sure anticipated that time and found hope in each day.

• But let’s be clear—Anne is not in heaven because she was such a great woman, or because she served many people. Anne is joyfully enjoying heaven today because of her faith in what Christ did to present her righteous before God.

• We grieve, but we do not grieve as one with no hope. Ps. 116: 15 “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.”

Joy or contentment doesn’t come from personality, possessions, power or popularity. I tell you that all of those things cannot maintain true happiness and joy. Those things are like a diving board that only goes so far and that’s it. Christ is much more than a diving board, He is a bridge that is built on the bedrock of His word that always gives stability and hope and joy no matter what we face.

One thing I notice with our pursuit of happiness is that it is short lived apart from Christ. The more satisfied I am with Christ, the more joy I experience from Christ. I am thankful that my Auntie Anne modeled that—hopefully reminding all of us again of where our focus needs to be in order to better prepare for eternity.

In closing – Phil. 4 My God shall meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Psalm – “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” That is where you will find the grace you need. Go to Him often.