Motelle Epting

SUMTER - Lena Motelle Gambrell Epting, 92, widow of Robert D. Epting, peacefully slipped away to be with the Lord, August 15, 2016. A longtime resident of Gilbert, SC, she had been residing in Sumter for the past 8 years. Born January 10, 1924 in Laurens, SC, she was the daughter of Ottis and Althea Foster and Floyd Gambrell.

Motelle retired from General Electric and North American Phillips, where she and her husband were both employed. She enjoyed her family, tending her flowers, crocheting, her cat, and First Calvary Baptist Church before being overtaken by Alzheimer’s disease.

She was preceded in death by her parents and husband, grandson, James Robert Epting; sisters, Ruth Evelyn Davis, Margaret Blumer, and Ruby Nell Basden; brothers, Carl Gambrell and Jack Gambrell. She is survived by her son, Phillip Martin Epting (Geannie) of Sumter, and daughter, Sandra Phyllis Smith

(Jesse) of Gilbert; grandchildren, Jennifer Epting Mitchell (Sean), Elizabeth Epting MacDonald (James), Amy Keller-Smith, Scott Wyman Smith, great-grandchildren Rebekah and Michelle Woods, Victoria, Jacob, Owen and Abbigail Mitchell, Mary Ruth Duncan, Lachlan and Sawyer MacDonald, brother, William “Bill” Gambrell, nieces, nephews and extended family members.

The family would like to thank her wonderful caretakers at McElveen Manor Residential Care Facility and Beacon Hospice for their care and compassion over the years.

A memorial service will be held at 11:00 am, Saturday, August 20, 2016 at First Calvary Baptist Church, Leesville, SC followed by burial in the church cemetery. There will be a visitation with family in the First Calvary Chapel.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, 140 Stoneridge Dr., Suite 210, Columbia, SC 29210.