Unlike the day itself, the celebration of life for Jake Epp was nothing but full of thanksgiving, appreciation and recognition to the man who had become known to many guests as, “our MP”, a fellow politician, friend, father, husband, family and to two in the crowd of 200 that gathered at Crossview Church on Tuesday, “Gampa” was what they affectionately called him.
The midday service included a welcome and opening remarks from the Honourable Kelvin Goertzen, current MLA for Steinbach and a personal friend of Epp. Rev. Dr. Brian Stiller, Global Ambassador for the World Evangelical Alliance and also a personal friend of Epp, shared several scripture verses and gave an inspiring Meditation.
Niece Julie Rempel shared how her Uncle Jake helped her become the journalist and writer she is today.
But for many, the most meaningful moments of the service came when daughter, Lisa and granddaughters Melissa and Mackenzie stepped up to the podium, sharing stories of “Gampa”.
Stories of trips often meant as much for education and enrichment as a holiday. Times of laughter and joking around and having fun. But what both young women recalled most about Epp was his intentionality in spending time with them and asking how their studies were going, or what they’d learnt in school.
Mackenzie recalls reading about Jake Epp while she was studying to become a lawyer, and how it didn’t take very long until everyone in her class knew who her “Gampa” was.
Meanwhile, older granddaughter Melissa shared that, although her Engineering degree wasn’t something that “Gampa” was very familiar with, she’d always felt his support and love.
After the service, Melissa noted how honoured she felt to be able to celebrate her “Gampa’s” life.
"He was a man with so many accomplishments and so much career success, but more importantly, he was my Gampa, and I loved him very much. He was a very important person in my life, and it's great to be able to be here and like honour his life.”
Speaking to the residents of Steinbach and area, she said,
“It's a very cool experience to be able to come back to Steinbach, where my entire family is from. We've since moved far away, but Steinbach definitely still feels like a little bit of home. To be able to drive past the library and see Jake Epp's name on there is very surreal, and it was very humbling to see the flag at half-mast for the last two weeks. So, I want to thank the residents for honouring him in that way. And yeah, just thank you for all the stories you've been able to share with me. It's very touching to hear how he influenced your lives.”
Mackenzie, sister to Melissa, notes her appreciation as well.
“To the people of Steinbach, I would say thank you so much for welcoming my family back home. Steinbach was always my Gampa's home, and like, to come back here and to see how the people are so welcoming and even though we may have left the city and gone and done our own things, you know, this has always been our home. This will always be our home. And yeah, just being welcomed here. Thank you for the welcome home.”
The Epp’s will return to their residence in Calgary, though daughter Lisa echoes her daughters’ words, that they will always consider Steinbach home.
To view the Celebration of Life service for Jake Epp, visit the Birchwood Funeral Chapel website.
Arthur Jacob “Jake” Epp, September 1, 1939 to July 5, 2025.
*The final photo in this gallery shows Lisa Epp-Coleman, standing with Alex Major, who is wearing a lapel pin given to Major's father by Jake Epp many years ago. Alex says, there were only two of this kind of pin handcrafted. The other one belongs to Lisa.