Obituary for Cole Joseph Epple
Cole Joseph Epple, age 28 years, of Columbia, Mo., passed away Monday, February 15, 2021 at his home.
Cole was born on June 28, 1992 in Jefferson City, Mo., a son of Kenneth Joseph and Darla Kay (Gilmore) Epple.
A lifelong resident of the Central Missouri area, Cole attended Immaculate Conception School where his foundation of strong faith and Christian values began. He was a 2011 graduate of Jefferson City High School where he was a solid student, played soccer, and medaled in the State Championship for wrestling his first year. After graduation, Cole attended Linn State Technical College where he graduated with his degree in Telecommunication.
Cole was employed with Socket Internet in Columbia, Mo., where he installed fiber optics all throughout Central Missouri. He was close with his coworkers and would always go out of his way to help anyone in need.
Cole had a passion for music and spent a lot of his free time searching for new bands to listen to and refining his record collection. He recently became part of a punk band as the lead singer. He was able to express himself through music, and he even began creating and writing his own lyrics. Cole was adventurous and liked traveling to different skate spots and music festivals, one of his favorite being in Philadelphia. He’s traveled to countless places and in October, he hiked to the top of Quandary Peak in Breckenridge, Colorado with his brother Jesse, who he thought of as a best friend. He had a love for the outdoors. Some of his favorite memories were going deer and turkey hunting with his dad. In September, he participated in his first bow hunt, where he got his first deer on the first day. “One and done” was what he said about his hunt that weekend. Cole also enjoyed going trout fishing in Bennett Springs. When he wasn’t hunting or fishing, he was riding his skateboard with Jesse and their close-knit group of friends. With all of the adventures and journeys he took, he never failed to document and take pictures and videos the whole way. Cole also had a love for horror and western films and anime. He could always give plenty of recommendations for movies, television shows, and YouTube videos along with telling you the backstory and fun facts about each. Cole and Jesse lived together in Columbia and bonded over just about everything, including their love of movie nights, barbecues with their friends, Skate 3, and giant bowls of ice cream.
Cole was a friend to many and loved by everyone who met him. He had a great sense of humor, was happy-go-lucky, and a free spirit who never minded marching to the beat of his own drum. Daily, he showed strength, determination, and a love for life. Cole will be most remembered for his beautiful smile, heart of gold, charismatic personality, impeccable style, and striking blue eyes, as well as his unmatched patience and care for the friends and family he was surrounded by. He will be greatly missed by many.
Survivors include: his parents, Ken and Darla of Jefferson City, Mo; his brother and best-friend, Jesse Epple (girlfriend, Corin Cesaric) of Columbia, Mo; maternal grandmother, Betty Gilmore of Jefferson City, Mo; paternal grandmother, Elsie Epple of Jefferson City, Mo; his godparents and aunt and uncle, Lisa Tharp (husband, Tim) of Jefferson City, Mo; aunt, Pam Bowman (husband, Chuck) of Columbia, Mo; uncles, Jim Epple, of Jefferson City, Mo., and Kevin Gilmore (wife, Jonna) of Jefferson City, Mo; and his cousins, Lily Tharp, George Tharp, Alex Tharp, Justin Gilmore (Haley), Paige Colbert (Danny), Kevin Cochran (Katia), and Eric Cochran (Kristina).
Cole was preceded in death by his maternal grandfather, Karl Gilmore and paternal grandfather, Orval “Ep” Epple.
Visitation will be at Freeman Mortuary from 4:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. Friday, February 19, 2021 with a prayer service held at 3:15 p.m. in the Freeman Chapel immediately before his visitation.
Mass of Christian Burial will be conducted at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, February 20, 2021 at Immaculate Conception Church with the Reverend Don Antweiler officiating. Graveside services and entombment will be held at the Mausoleum of Hawthorn Memorial Gardens.
A webcast of Cole’s service will be available at 10:00 a.m. Saturday for friends that are not able to attend by going to the "photos and videos" tab of this page and scrolling down to the webcasting link.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are suggested to Immaculate Conception Catholic School, 1208 East McCarty Street, Jefferson City, Mo. 65101.
Funeral arrangements are under the care of Freeman Mortuary.
Cole was born on June 28, 1992 in Jefferson City, Mo., a son of Kenneth Joseph and Darla Kay (Gilmore) Epple.
A lifelong resident of the Central Missouri area, Cole attended Immaculate Conception School where his foundation of strong faith and Christian values began. He was a 2011 graduate of Jefferson City High School where he was a solid student, played soccer, and medaled in the State Championship for wrestling his first year. After graduation, Cole attended Linn State Technical College where he graduated with his degree in Telecommunication.
Cole was employed with Socket Internet in Columbia, Mo., where he installed fiber optics all throughout Central Missouri. He was close with his coworkers and would always go out of his way to help anyone in need.
Cole had a passion for music and spent a lot of his free time searching for new bands to listen to and refining his record collection. He recently became part of a punk band as the lead singer. He was able to express himself through music, and he even began creating and writing his own lyrics. Cole was adventurous and liked traveling to different skate spots and music festivals, one of his favorite being in Philadelphia. He’s traveled to countless places and in October, he hiked to the top of Quandary Peak in Breckenridge, Colorado with his brother Jesse, who he thought of as a best friend. He had a love for the outdoors. Some of his favorite memories were going deer and turkey hunting with his dad. In September, he participated in his first bow hunt, where he got his first deer on the first day. “One and done” was what he said about his hunt that weekend. Cole also enjoyed going trout fishing in Bennett Springs. When he wasn’t hunting or fishing, he was riding his skateboard with Jesse and their close-knit group of friends. With all of the adventures and journeys he took, he never failed to document and take pictures and videos the whole way. Cole also had a love for horror and western films and anime. He could always give plenty of recommendations for movies, television shows, and YouTube videos along with telling you the backstory and fun facts about each. Cole and Jesse lived together in Columbia and bonded over just about everything, including their love of movie nights, barbecues with their friends, Skate 3, and giant bowls of ice cream.
Cole was a friend to many and loved by everyone who met him. He had a great sense of humor, was happy-go-lucky, and a free spirit who never minded marching to the beat of his own drum. Daily, he showed strength, determination, and a love for life. Cole will be most remembered for his beautiful smile, heart of gold, charismatic personality, impeccable style, and striking blue eyes, as well as his unmatched patience and care for the friends and family he was surrounded by. He will be greatly missed by many.
Survivors include: his parents, Ken and Darla of Jefferson City, Mo; his brother and best-friend, Jesse Epple (girlfriend, Corin Cesaric) of Columbia, Mo; maternal grandmother, Betty Gilmore of Jefferson City, Mo; paternal grandmother, Elsie Epple of Jefferson City, Mo; his godparents and aunt and uncle, Lisa Tharp (husband, Tim) of Jefferson City, Mo; aunt, Pam Bowman (husband, Chuck) of Columbia, Mo; uncles, Jim Epple, of Jefferson City, Mo., and Kevin Gilmore (wife, Jonna) of Jefferson City, Mo; and his cousins, Lily Tharp, George Tharp, Alex Tharp, Justin Gilmore (Haley), Paige Colbert (Danny), Kevin Cochran (Katia), and Eric Cochran (Kristina).
Cole was preceded in death by his maternal grandfather, Karl Gilmore and paternal grandfather, Orval “Ep” Epple.
Visitation will be at Freeman Mortuary from 4:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. Friday, February 19, 2021 with a prayer service held at 3:15 p.m. in the Freeman Chapel immediately before his visitation.
Mass of Christian Burial will be conducted at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, February 20, 2021 at Immaculate Conception Church with the Reverend Don Antweiler officiating. Graveside services and entombment will be held at the Mausoleum of Hawthorn Memorial Gardens.
A webcast of Cole’s service will be available at 10:00 a.m. Saturday for friends that are not able to attend by going to the "photos and videos" tab of this page and scrolling down to the webcasting link.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are suggested to Immaculate Conception Catholic School, 1208 East McCarty Street, Jefferson City, Mo. 65101.
Funeral arrangements are under the care of Freeman Mortuary.