Family, friends remember Wichita man whose body was found in burning house

Michael Epperson Jr. hit the road Friday morning to head back home from Wichita to Florida.

He drove back toting more than he came with, including a boat and scooter that both need repairs, family photos that smell of smoke, a charred guitar and his father’s ashes.

Michael Epperson Sr. was found dead inside his west Wichita home during a fire in January. An autopsy later revealed he was shot in the upper body. He was 69.

Wichita police would not say if they have a person of interest in the killing. A Wichita fire official said investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the Jan. 6 fire, including if an accelerant was used.

Family, friends and neighbors described Epperson Sr. as a talented musician, roadie, bookworm and fisherman. He was a person neighbors, and an officer who patrolled the area, would give a ride to get groceries.

One of the first things people close to him mentioned was his talents on the guitar.

“Probably one of the best I’ve seen around here,” neighbor Brent Coats said.

Epperson Sr. played other instruments too, but guitar was his main go-to. He played old country, blues, classic rock and gospel, Epperson Jr. said. Many of his instruments were burned in the fire or stolen afterward.

“He loved being close to God, you could say, but he also loved his rock ‘n’ roll too,” he said.

Whether you knew Epperson Sr. for years or weeks as Marty Giroux did, his talent and love for music were obvious.

Giroux saw a man hitchhiking from his front yard in November. The man, who had long white hair and a matching beard, looked friendly enough, so Giroux picked him up and gave him a ride to Dillons. But first, they grabbed a burger together.

They talked about music and the conversation quickly spurred a friendship. Giroux described Epperson Sr. in much the same way that people who knew him for years did.

Coats and former neighbor Stephen Cornell, who was also a friend, said Epperson Sr. would sit on his side porch and read and read, even on colder days as long as the sun was out.

“He was a reading machine, a man of knowledge,” said Coats. “He was smart. He could tell you a lot of stuff.”

On occasion, he would also serenade the neighborhood with his music from his backyard.

“He actually had a pretty good voice too,” said Cornell, who lived across the street from Epperson Sr. for 10 years.

He played in a band called Dark Star based out of Miami, Florida, in the 1970s. The band was slated to open for the well-known rock band Deep Purple when multiple band members were injured in a car accident, Epperson Jr. said.

The band kind of fizzled from there.

Epperson Sr. also was a roadie for the Blue Oyster Cult and possibly the Allman Brothers Band, Epperson Jr. said.

Epperson Sr. eventually moved from Miami to Tampa Bay, where he met his future wife Judith Head. They moved to Wichtia in the mid-’90s to be closer to her family, Epperson Jr. said.

Judith was a longtime social worker at the Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center, where Epperson Sr. performed occasionally to entertain the veterans, Epperson Jr. said.

In Wichita, Epperson Sr. also was involved in a band.

From a box of sentimental items Epperson Jr. had boxed up, he pulled a photo of his father and members of a band called BeyondADoubt — at least the name appeared to have no spaces in the photo.

The members — Ed “Junior” Joyner, Pete Peters, Larry Smith, Nelson Washington, Johnny Denton and Epperson Sr. — stood next to each other smiling in the photo. In the text below the photo, it said first appearance on Dec. 19, 1999, at Central Community Church. The band played “Little Drummer Boy” and “Mary Did You Know.”

Coats lives down the road from Epperson Sr.’s home and owns BC Auto Repair close by.

He first met Epperson Sr. when he brought his “hoopty” 1991 Chevrolet truck into the shop for repairs. Epperson Sr. needed his truck fixed so he could go fishing, Coats said.

They’d wave to each other when Coats drove home from work while Epperson Sr. sat outside reading. They also hung out a few times, including when Coats helped Cornell fix up a military Jeep.

“He was a really, really good guy,” said Cornell, who moved away a couple of years ago. “He was friendly and he cared about his neighbors.”

Epperson Sr.’s life took a hard turn in October 2018 when Judith died. His family and friends said he slumped into a depression that made it harder to do day-to-day tasks.

It wasn’t something Giroux saw wearing on Epperson Sr.’s face when he picked up the man with his thumb out in his front yard in November.

They hung out weekly for the last couple of months of Epperson Sr.’s life. Once at Giroux’s home, Epperson Sr. picked up a guitar and started playing. Giroux was blown away.

On one of their hangouts, Epperson Sr. dressed up as Santa Claus for an event Giroux had at the restaurant he’s opening in Caldwell. While waiting to officially open, Giroux said they decided to host a breakfast with Santa event in December.

“Even if I tried to pay him, he wouldn’t have taken it,” Giroux said. “He had too much fun, way too much fun.”

They had plans to hang out again when Giroux got a call from someone he knows who lived near Epperson Sr. Police and fire were outside of Epperson Sr.’s home, they said.

Epperson Sr. was found in the living room, Giroux said. The fire started in a nearby room that was filled with sentimental items, Epperson Jr. said.

Epperson Sr.’s dog and cat also died in the fire. His music room in the basement, which included old albums, was flooded from firefighters dousing the flames, Epperson Jr. said.

The home was boarded up but people have broken in. Epperson Jr. said musical instruments have been stolen.

Coats was at home one day when he saw a man pushing Epperson Sr.’s scooter down the road. Coats ordered his hunting dog to “get it,” which meant to go retrieve whatever it was, but the running dog scared the thief enough that he dropped the scooter and took off.

Coats has wondered if Epperson Sr.’s friendliness factored into his death, if he befriended the wrong person.

Epperson Jr. is now taking the scooter back to Florida.

Neighbors and police are aware of the thefts, so there are more eyes watching the boarded up home. But thieves have been able to get away with some items, including some instruments, Epperson Jr. said.

The 50-year-old had spent more than a week in protective clothes and mask trying parse through the home and collect sentimental items and ones he worried could be stolen.

He is an avid fisherman but not a musician like his dad was.

There’s a guitar on the side of the house that was charred beyond repair. Another was found in a charred case out back. He thinks firefighters tossed it outside because it was on fire. Inside the case, the guitar has been burned some but still looks in pretty good shape.

Epperson Jr. plans to get it refurbished as a sentimental item he will keep in his home, to remember his father.

This story was originally published March 4, 2023 at 4:02 PM.