Obituary: Byrd William Eppley Jr. | ParkRecord.com – The Park Record

January 26, 1935 – August 8, 2022

Byrd (Bill) William Eppley Jr., age 87, passed away peacefully in his home, surrounded by his family on August 8, 2022 in Midvale, UT. Bill was born on January 26, 1935 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Bill grew up in Basalt, CO with his mother Olive, and father, Byrd Sr. He joined the United States Air Force in 1953. His Air Force journey started in Amarillo, Texas where he completed Basic Training. After he was stationed in Salina, Kansas, he was assigned to the Strategic Air Command where he was Crew Chief on the B-47 Stratojet. While in Kansas, he met the love of his life, Patricia Cook and they were married on August 31, 1957. He was a kind and loving husband, as well as an amazing father to their two children, Roxanne and Trey.

Throughout Bill’s life, he had many adventures such as flying his airplane, hunting, driving fast cars and boating, especially on Lake Powell. He began Eppley Construction in Basalt, CO. His passion for constructing ski resorts took him and his family to Park City, UT, where he continued the development of the Park City and Deer Valley ski resorts. He held such pride for the hard work that he completed through the years for the residents of Park City. In addition to creating the ski runs, some of his favorite accomplishments were the Park City Golf Course and the original Alpine Slide.

To Bill, family was always the most important part of his life. The love for his family grew immensely when he became a grandfather, “Papa” and again when he had great-grandchildren. He was an endless storybook full of memories from his past, each filled with excitement and joy. His greatest stories included his childhood home, “The Homestead”, years in the Air Force, crashing his own airplane, teaching his grandchildren how to drive, and his love for fast cars.

Bill was a loyal and hardworking man. He was kind and humble with a heart of gold. So much that, when he found out his neighbor’s coat went missing in the middle of winter, he drove her to the store and told her to pick out any coat she wanted. This was just one of his many acts of kindness. We are forever thankful to him for loving us the way he did and teaching us his ways of kindness, generosity, and compassion.

He is survived by his wife, Patricia “Pat” Eppley, daughter, Roxanne Reeder (Steve), son, Trey Eppley (Sheri), grandchildren, Alisha (Carlos), Chelsee, Zachary (Lola) and Callie and great-grandchildren, Frankie, Harper and Mateo. Preceded in death by his parents, Byrd Sr. and Olive Eppley.

Condolences for the family can be sent to [email protected] or 1294 W. Margaret Park Dr. Riverton, Utah 84065.

In lieu of flowers, please follow in Bill’s generosity by making a donation to your favorite charity.

A celebration of Bill’s life is being planned for a later date.

Source: https://www.parkrecord.com/news/obituaries/obituary-byrd-william-eppley-jr/