Richard Beall (“Dick”) Eppler, of Austin, Texas, died on Thursday, November 19, 2020, after a short, intense battle with liver cancer. Dick was born on January 21, 1952, in Wichita Falls, Texas. He was the first child of William Burgess Eppler and Jeannette Smith Eppler.
Dick grew up in Dallas, Texas, where he was very active in the Boy Scouts. Dick became an Eagle Scout and served as a camp counselor at the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. He completed high school at the Kent School, a boarding academy in Kent, Connecticut. After first attending college at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, Dick graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in the mid-1970s with a Bachelors of Business Administration and a minor in Spanish.
Dick made Austin his home and he spent much of his adult life as a self-employed carpenter and craftsman. He tackled many remodeling challenges and also loved to make furniture. Learning on every unique do-it-yourself job, Dick became adept at fixing just about anything and famous for his generosity in helping family and neighbors when they needed his diverse skills.
Dick had broad musical tastes and collected all kinds of music and sound recordings. He was a patron and supporter of independent arts and many social causes in Austin and elsewhere. Dick also was a student of history, which at times made him a font of useful information. Quiet of nature, nevertheless he harbored a droll sense of humor that, when unleashed, could be riotously entertaining.
Very faithful to his family, friends, and neighbors, Dick quietly expressed his love for other people by always showing up. He particularly loved his son Will, with whom he traveled considerably and had many adventures. Dick will be missed by so many.
Dick was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, John Rufus Eppler. He is survived by his son William Cutean Eppler of Austin; his sister Jennifer Eppler Long and her husband, Walter Cromer Long, of Austin; his sister Gretchen Eppler and her husband, Peter Titsworth, of Basalt, Colorado; and his sister-in-law Tammy Layne Eppler of Denton, Texas. He also is survived by two nephews and three nieces: Rachel Janette Long of Freiburg, Germany, Walter Stephens Long of Austin, Miriam Kaapke Long and Calvin Titsworth of Colorado, and Jennifer Elizabeth Eppler of St. Petersburg, Florida.
The family requests that, in lieu of flowers or other gifts, contributions might be made to any charities that persons honoring Dick believe he might love or find particularly meaningful.
Due to the pandemic, no public memorial will be undertaken.
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