Caryl B. Eppele

Caryl Ann Burch Eppele, age 87, of Fort Wayne, passed away at Kingston at Dupont on Friday, February 28, 2025. Born in Mount Vernon, OH on October 25, 1937, she was the second child of William Alonzo and Ruth Ada Titus Burch. Caryl was salutatorian of her Howard High School class of 1955 and believed in the value of education and lifelong learning: she earned Associate’s, Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Education and studied biblical Hebrew and Greek in retirement.

Caryl met the love of her life, Edward “Ed” Eppele, at Intervarsity Christian Fellowship while at Bowling Green State University and they were married on June 6, 1959. They spent the remainder of their lives together, raising a family and being active in the community. Caryl delighted in her children and grandchildren, talking about them to anyone who would listen. Caryl was a devout Christian, reading her Bible and studying the scriptures daily. She was an avid reader throughout her life and enjoyed researching family genealogy. She loved music, gardening, cooking and baking, knitting, visiting museums, botanical gardens, historical homes and sites. She was known for her keen wit and dry sense of humor.

Caryl is survived by her brother James “Big Jim” (Janet) Burch; her children Timothy (Laudina van Putten Eppele) Eppele, Sr., Ruth (Mark Dickens) Eppele Dickens, Esther (Michael Harris) Eppele and John (Katherine Willborn) Eppele; grandchildren Timothy (Lariisa Conaway) Eppele, Jr., Kaiyalai Alexandria Indigo, Yaqub Dickens, Talitha Dickens and Charles Eppele; great-grandchildren Kyle, Zachariah and Xander; and many cousins, nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by Edward, sisters Jennie Burch Newton and Viletta “Lettie” Winegardner and her parents William and Ruth Burch.

An informal Celebration of Caryl’s Life will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 15, 2025 at Hockemeyer & Miller Funeral Home, 6131 Saint Joe Road, Fort Wayne, IN 46835. She will be laid to rest at a later date in a private ceremony in Ohio.

Memorials may be made to Eleos Hospice in Caryl’s name. Condolences and memories of Caryl may be left online at www.hockemeyermillerfh.com