Todd Eppenstiner
Passed Away on January 2, 2020
Todd Eppenstiner, of Apache Junction, Arizona, passed away January 2, 2020 at the age of 52. He was born on Christmas Day, 1967 in San Diego, California and was raised along with his sister, Ruth, in Minnesota by their mother, Anne. At 17, he enlisted in the US Army and served his country proudly in the 82nd Airborne. He was stationed in Wiesbaden, Germany, where his near native proficiency speaking German was a source of pride to his unit. After several moves, Todd found his home in Arizona, where his love of the outdoors and his ease in connecting with those around him quickly formed a large community of friends and colleagues who shared his passions. He loved hiking and exploring all that the Arizona desert had to offer as well as enjoyed the love and friendship of aunts and uncles and cousins and friends from all phases of his life.
Survivors include his mother, Anne Drees and her husband, Matt Drees, his sister, Ruth Meissner and her husband, Ryan Meissner, his nieces, Maisy and Emma along with countless others who considered Todd their own brother, uncle, and son.
Services for Todd Eppenstiner will be at 2:00 on Tuesday, January 7, 2020 at Mountain View Funeral Home and Cemetery, 7900 E Main St. Mesa, Arizona, 85207.
Photos
Click Photo to Enlarge
We loved you more than you will ever know. Our heats are broken, but we know in our hearts that you are in a very good place.
Love Dan, Sue, Jenny, Chris & Mike Murphy
Todd looks just as I remember him. This is a sad time for your family…Thinking of you…
Sad, sad day indeed as I watch you lay in state handsome as ever expecting you to wake up or say something. Your friendship with us Chuck,David, Ross, was deeply appreciated. We all will miss you and your jokes and most certainly when you out perform all of us. You will be missed tremendously. Rest In Peace my friend
Sad so, just heard about this today. We had met back in high school and lost touch when he moved to Arizona. But Todd was the type of person that no matter what time had passed, if you were a good friend, you still would be if paths crossed later in life. I have thought about him often and wondered what he was up to, but always knew he was living his life in whatever way made him happy. I have so many memories of him and all of the fun and crazy antics he and the rest of our “group” would get into up here in Minnesota.
Thanks for the great memories! You will always be remembered.
My heart goes out to Todd’s family. Although I don’t know exactly what to say, I want you to know that I am with you in thought. Todd was a coworker I admired and I do miss seeing him. He had a great sense of humor, he was smart, he was strong-minded, he was helpful… there are so many qualities I could list. The world is a little less without him.
I was Todd’s Company Commander in Germany. We (those who served with him in that Company just learned this sad news). I was fortunate to have been able to have lunch with Todd a few years ago when I was in Arizona on business. Life is made up of meetings and partings. That is the way of it But, we will always remember Todd. He was a great soldier and great American.
I served with Todd in E Co 51st inf and 82nd Airbourne. The best of us. R.I.P Brother
You’ve gone too soon, my brother.
My sympathies to your family.
Until Valhalla.
Rest in eternal peace warrior. Eyes Behind The Lines
Served in Germany together. One of the beat people I had the pleasure to meet. God Bless him and hia family.
May the wind be always at your back, May the rain fall on all your fields, May the sun always shine on your face, And until we meet again May god hold you in the palm of his hand. May you be in Heaven 3 days before the devil knows your dead. LONG RANGE ! RLTW! EBTL! AATW! Wil miss you greatly Brother !
Rip Brother, you will be missed, Eyes Behind the Lines
Proud to have served with you in E Co. 51st Infantry in Wiesbaden. My deepest condolences to your family and friends.
Eco 51st brothers forever. Say hello to all the brothers we have lost for me. Until we all have formation in the sky.
Todd was a good guy and a very good soldier. Proud to have served with him in Echo Company.
Eyes behind the lines,troop RIP Lil brother
An honor to serve with you in Eco 51st INF. RIP brother you will be missed.
Brother you will be missed for not only your friendship but that kind heart of yours. Your memory with my family while we were stationed in Germany with E/51st Inf. Will live with us forever.
Till meet again in Valhalla.
“ where his near native proficiency speaking German was a source of pride to his unit. ”
I was part of this unit. We were proud of one another for a variety of reasons.
’Eyes Behind The Lines’,
Brother.
Epp was one of the most intriguing people you could meet, and to whom you could talk to for hours and not be bored. He could play the part of the knucklehead to fit in with the rest of us but all along you knew he was a deep thinker. He was always finding ways to hide gizmos on his person or in his brown leather jacket. Belt buckles that became knives, secret collars that held parachute cord, or compartments in his shoes for a compass. He always had plans in place for whatever riddle befell him.
Indeed Todd, rally our boys up there and keep a weather eye out for us mortals.
Rest in Peace
May God take the point
Very sad news. Rest in Peace and God Bless his family. He will be missed.
This is definitely unexpected sad news; I know you have linked up with our other brothers who have passed and have secured the Patrol Based for all of us in the future — Rest In Peace, my young brother.
I’m sorry. I knew I wouldn’t get it quite right, but somehow wanted to capture how important that time was to him. Thank you for being part of my brother’s story–
Todd and I were roommates in Echo 51st. We were in the same LRSU team. It has taken me a couple of days since this heartbreaking news to gather some words. Staz was very well spoken when he described Todd. He has more Brothers to count. I was fortunate to be so close to him for those years. When we returned to the U.S.A. he even bought my father’s Starsky and Hutch car.
He rode in an ambulance with me when I drunkenly poured chem light juice on my head at a concert. He was able to communicate in German for me about how childish I was that day.
I have posted several pictures of Todd on our 51st Infantry page, and they will all be shared with his family.
Epp will be truly missed. My heart goes out to his immediate family and his Brothers all over the world.
R.I.P. Brother EBTL!
Rest in peace Todd Eppenstiner, God Bless. E Co 51st Brother
Todd and I served together in Germany when we both were much younger men..
You left us all way too soon.
Rest In Peace Warrior!
Proud to have served with Todd in E co. We were supposed to link up and never made it to the rally point. RIP brother.
RIP brother, I still remember you speaking German in your sleep while in Belgium Commando School. E co 51st INF
RIP. Honor and a privilege to have crossed paths in service.
The time passes, some days never easily.
You were a great friend to me, I always will remember.
You were indeed a good man Epp! -V
“I loved my friend.
He went away from me.
There’s nothing more to say.
The poem ends,
Soft as it began,—
I loved my friend.”
-Langston Hughes