Joe S Epley

Joe Sidney Epley, 85, of Traveler’s Rest died suddenly and unexpectedly on Sunday, November 5, 2023. He was born April 20, 1938, in Forest City, N.C. He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Dorcas Starnes Epley; two children, Meredith Epley McGinnis of Travelers Rest and Stewart Taylor Epley, of Charlotte N.C., his sister, Katherine Tischler, of Winston-Salem, N.C., five grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren; and many beloved nieces and nephews and their children. He is preceded in death by his parents, Sidney Charlie Epley and Margaret Vassey Epley, his brother, Jesse Wayne Epley, and granddaughter Olivia Jean Epley. Joe worked as a television editor and news reporter with WLOS in Asheville and WBTV in Charlotte. In 1968, he launched Epley Associates Public Relations, which would become one of the most successful public relations firms in the Southeast. During his career he served as president of the Public Relations Society of America, and chair of the PRSA College of Fellows and Counselors Academy. He was a founding member of Worldcom Group, an international network of independent public relations firms. Among Epley’s honors are the Gold Anvil, for lifetime achievement, the highest award in the public relations profession, election to the University of North Carolina’s Journalism School Public Relations Hall of Fame and the Defense Information School Hall of Fame, and the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, North Carolina’s highest award for noteworthy citizens. Epley, who joined the U.S. Army in 1958, proudly served as a member of the Army National Guard for over 20 years. The deep friendships he formed with the 11th Special Forces Unit in Charlotte N.C. were lifelong. In recent years he has been a valued member of Special Forces Association Chapter 363 in Upstate South Carolina. After selling his firm in 2005, Joe and Dorcas retired to Columbus, N.C. where they both became active in the community, volunteering their time and expertise in organizations such as Thermal Belt Outreach Ministry and Polk County Historical Society. He channeled his interest in military history into two fact-based novels about the Carolinas’ involvement in the American Revolutionary War. In 2019, he and Dorcas moved to the Woodlands at Furman in Greenville, S.C., where he joined OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute) at Furman University. In his personal life he was Dorcas’s husband Joe, and Meredith and Stewart’s dad. He was a voracious reader and the unofficial family photographer for family reunions and get togethers. Epley was a visionary and is remembered for his warmth, compassion, integrity, wit, and wisdom. He will be missed. Visitation will take place Thursday, November 16, at The Howze Mortuary from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. with the memorial service immediately afterward in the Howze Mortuary Chapel. Memorials may be made to Thermal Belt Outreach Ministry, 134 White Dr., Columbus, N.C., 28722 or to the charity of one’s choice.

Joe S Epley

April 20, 1938 - November 5, 2023