John W. Van Epps passed away peacefully Thursday, August 22,2024 at his home at Saddle Ridge with Patty.

John was diagnosed with a rare Neurological disorder called Progressive Supranuclear Palsy in March and died from complications of this disorder. John was born  July 10,1948 in Portage. He was the middle son to James and Leone Van Epps. He was the younger brother of Jim and Larry, and the older brother of Lynn and Jeff. John graduated in the Class of ‘66 from Portage Senior High School. He then went to Whitewater and earned a degree in Accounting.

After several years in Arizona, he moved his screenprint business to Portage, and went on to be a Verizon rep for the first cell phone business in the area. Along with Lon Chester, and Kirk Burnstad, they created the Market Basket serving the downtown area of Portage. John, along with his Dad and brothers became a team in the Curling community for many years. He was an avid golfer, getting that elusive ‘hole in one’ in 1991.

He was also a long time member of the Portage Elks Lodge #675. John and Patty enjoyed the last 10 years golfing and traveling. They married in October of 2020. A special thanks to John’s Hospice care team, his nurse Brianna, the CNA’s especially Sam, and his Caseworker Stacy. I could not have gone through this without their help.

There will be a Celebration of Life for John on Saturday, September 28, 2024 from 1 to 4 PM at the Clubhouse at Saddle Ridge. Please send memorials to : Agrace Hospice Care, 5395 Cheryl Parkway, Madison, WI 53711. Come if you can, bring your ‘John’ stories, I know they are out there.  Wear your favorite Packer, Badger or golf shirt. Help me, Lynn and Nancy, Alyssa and Andrew, Jeff, Annette and Katie celebrate the life he lived.