A big impression

Over 1,000 local community members attended the visitation and funeral services for Charles Epperly, who passed away on Aug. 30. It is truly impressive to see what a profound impact one man had on our small community. Charles' life touched so many either directly or indirectly through his family.

In December of 2007, I had the opportunity to write an article about Charles' brother Dennis, who accepted a challenge to lose a substantial amount of weight in an effort to donate a kidney to Charles. I greatly enjoyed hearing Dennis talk about his love for his brother.

Those same qualities of love and generosity can be seen in Charles' children, Amy, Charli Jo and Cody. There is no need to go any further than the Cassville School District to discover the impact Charles' life has had on our community. Both Amy and Charli Jo have chosen careers in education. Cody also spent time teaching students at the Southwest Area Career Center before his career took him on another path.

Although not every person who attended the services can say that they knew Charles personally, all of them can say that his life, his teachings and his spirit touched theirs in one way or another.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the Epperly family in their time of grief. I hope that they can find comfort in knowing that Charles' spirit will live on through his children and grandchildren.