Maria Passon Epperson, 96, born August 12th 1927 to Alfred Eugen Passon & Katharina Maria Reick Passon- walked through the veil of this mortal plane on a beautiful summer morning with birds singing, flowers in full bloom, and the sun rising over the majestic Wasatch Mountains to be with those who passed before Saturday, August 3rd at 5:30 a.m.

Maria accomplished so much here on earth. It started in Germany by living through a World War, then subscribing to the unknown with a determined move across an ocean with her 17-year-old sister, to later being swept off her feet and marrying the man of her dreams “Gerald Jean Epperson” in the Salt Lake Temple. While raising 4 children, she managed to clean, cook, make homemade whole wheat bread weekly, sew fashionable outfits for her children, teach piano, substitute teach middle school choir, then go back to college to get her certification for teaching piano professionally. She is a NCTM “Nationally Certified Teacher of Music”, and was affiliated with OMTA “Oklahoma Music Teachers Association”, MTNA “Music Teachers National Association”, UMTA “Utah Music Teachers Association”, NGPT “National Guild of Piano Teachers”, as well as AIM “Achievement in Music” through her UMTA Ogden chapter. Her students have competed in piano festivals and competitions with some receiving full ride scholarships to prestigious colleges. She also was a judge for many piano competitions and the Guild.

She organized a women’s choir that performed all over Tulsa throughout the season of Christmas. She also organized and conducted a choir to perform Handel’s Messiah…all of it. She directed the musical productions “My Turn on Earth”, “The Master’s Touch”, and was involved in several “Road Shows”. Since her father was an Opera singer in Germany, she performed on stage singing and acting throughout her years in Germany. In her younger years, she sang in the Bielefelder Kinderchor.

She had a voice like a lark and loved teaching her children how to harmonize and perform for special occasions in church, schools, and at Christmas time to widowed neighbors. She absolutely loved being called with her husband as the Stake Youth Dance Instructors. They taught the Cha-Cha, Foxtrot, Waltz, Swing, and other styles of dancing to prepare them for the dance festival in Texas. The youth came back with a winning trophy for their overall appearance and excellent dance technique. She enjoyed her other callings as organist for a season, Stake Primary Music Director, Choir Director, Music Chairperson, Relief Society Presidency, Supporting her husband as a Bishop, Oklahoma Temple Mission with her husband, and was very passionate about visiting teaching and ministering to those in need.

Her motto was: “If you want anything in life, you have to work for it!” She was a great example of working hard by having a paper route, selling Shaklee, buying clothes from Spot Bargain, and other outlet stores, then fixing the flaws in the clothing with her sewing skills, ironing the shirts, pants, skirts and dresses to reselling it for a higher price at her home garage sale. The determination of never giving up with life’s challenges, and staying positive with a smile on her face is who she was. She instilled spirituality, faith, love, and hard work to all who knew her. She graduated with honors from Bielefeld Business College Kohlhaase and worked as a secretary for an insurance company in Germany. When she lived in Salt Lake City, she was a secretary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints. She felt the importance of serving a LDS Mission, and was called to serve in the West German Mission. She was honorably released after serving in Germany for two years. We will miss her adorable German accent, her strong-willed personality, the way she would hold your hands tightly while telling you something super important, and last but not least, the way her nose turned red while chugging a carbonated drink. Maria, you are the light of our life, and we love you dearly.

Auf Wiedersehen, until we meet again.

Funeral Services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, August 10th at the Lorin Farr 1st Ward, 880 Harrison Boulevard, Ogden Utah with a viewing prior from 10:00 – 10:45 a.m. Interment, Evergreen Memorial Park. Arrangements entrusted to Myers Ogden Mortuary.