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Ray Eppenstein, 60

Raymond Bernard “Ray” Eppenstein, 60, of Hayden, Idaho, (formerly of Chicago and Joliet, Ill.) passed away March 21, 2018. Ray was the oldest of six children born to Ramon and Della (Gee) Eppenstein, of Monterey, Ind.

Ray grew up in Chicago, where he attended Leo Catholic High School. Ray had developed a passion for photography, and that passion brought him across the country where he worked for J&P Photography. It was this career that led to him meeting his wife, Eva (Taylor) Eppenstein. He often joked about how he “Met his wife in Fife.” The two were married Feb. 18, 1989, in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and later renewed their vows at the Cathedral of St. Raymond Nonnatus Catholic Church in Joliet. The two had just celebrated their 29th wedding anniversary. Ray worked for H&M International Transportation in the Chicago area. He was also a great wedding photographer for Abbey Studios, in Oak Lawn, Ill.

Ray grew up on the South Side of Chicago, where he quickly knew that he LOVED sports. All of them! He loved the Chicago Bears, so much so that Eva used to joke about her marriage vows having to include who the greatest middle linebacker of all time was (Dick Butkus), his jersey number (51), and that we cheered for the White Sox and anyone who played against the Cubs! He loved the Blackhawks and the Bulls, and he enjoyed many basketball games during the Michael Jordan years.

In 1990, Ray and Eva moved from Coeur d’Alene to Chicago. In 1995, they built their first home together in Joliet. In 2013, they made their way back to Idaho, and settled in Hayden.

In addition to the Chicago sports teams, Ray coached his girls’ softball teams as they grew up, and even when they were no longer playing he and the girls coached softball together and even won a championship! In the early years that Ray and Eva were married, he was a baseball umpire and a basketball referee. If he wasn’t coaching or refereeing, he would most likely be found with his camera. He once photographed a wedding and when he was requested to photograph that same bride more than 10 years later, she said that everything had changed except her photographer. He enjoyed working in the yard, helping his wife cook, and couldn’t resist a good garage sale.

He is survived by his wife, Eva; their two daughters, Katelynn and Leslee; his mother, Della of Crestwood, Ill.; his father, Ramon of Monterey, Ind.; four brothers, Richard and his wife, Esther of Norman, Okla., Jack and his wife, Alice of Stoughton, Mass., Ed and his wife, Debbie of Aurora, Ill. and Tom of Tinley Park, Ill; and one sister, Peggy of Chicago. In addition, his father and mother-in-law, Lynn and Kathy Taylor; sister-in-law and her husband, Holly and Al VanDuyne; brothers-in-law and their wives, Joe and Nora Taylor and Shawn and Tamara Taylor of Aspen, Colo. He had many nieces and nephews, cousins, aunts, uncles, great-nieces and great-nephews.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 31, 2018, at the Yates Funeral Home and Gathering Center, 373 E. Hayden Ave., Hayden, Idaho. A second memorial service will be held at a future date in Chicago. You may visit Ray’s online memorial and sign his guestbook at www.yatesfuneralhomes.com.

Ray had been on dialysis for several years, and had been placed on the transplant list, but had not been called yet. Please consider being a donor — the life you save could be someone you love.