Morton H. Morton Harvey "Big Mort" Epstein, was born May 4, 1930 in Birmingham, AL to Alice and Ivan Epstein, both of blessed memory. He graduated from the Georgia Military Academy (now Woodward Academy) and the University of Alabama. After moving to Atlanta in 1967, Morton enjoyed a long and successful career in design and architecture and was the sole proprietor of Architects Designers & Associates. He is preceded in death by his ex-wife, Mary Dunn Nagle, and survived by his son, Morton Epstein, Jr.; daughter-in-law, Brenda Sipple; step-children, Boyd Turner and Mary Jo Goolsby; brother, Burt Epstein (Sandra); and many nieces and nephews. He died at the age of 85, in Sandy Springs, Sunday, December 13, 2015.

Mort Junior got in trouble in 1979, and Mort had to stay home instead of going on a business trip. That was fortunate, since the reserved plane was operated without proper de-icing, and it crashed, killing a partner and several of his firm's employees. That plane took off from Lexington, Kentucky.

In 2002, lightning struck the house. A fire broke out, killing two dogs and a parrot. Mort had to break his way out of the house. Immediately after, he rebuilt the house in even finer fashion.

In 1999 he had to have a heart valve surgery. Scar tissue built up around the site of the surgery, so that in 2006 another operation was necessary. At that time, his son thought Mort might die.

Mort loved cars, and owned a dealership at one time. He also loved motorcycles, and bought one for his son when he was only 12 years old.

Speaking with his son, it was clear that Mort was a rare kind of special father. The father and son shared such an incredible bond - his son referred to his father as his best friend, and could only find the kindest ways to refer to him.

Eulogy by Mort Epstein Junior

Hello

Today is a celebration of the life and the legacy of my father Morton Epstein.

My father was pretty much a happy person who never let the negative things in life get him down. He always tried to have an optimistic view even on things that most would find saddening or anger in. His common answer was “it will be alright” as he never enjoyed having to deal with the sad part of life. Yes many could look at this as avoidance while others could look at it as trying to look for something good in a bad situation .

Dad was a complete character when it came to most things and he always beat to a different drummer. While he was a very unique person, he also was incredibly brilliant and was never lacking in coming up with good ideas, especially when it came to his design work. His passion for design led him to over 40 years of doing what he really enjoyed. In this time he helped create lots of places that gave thousands of people joy. Whether it was all the discos in the 70’s, strip clubs in the 80’s and 90’s or a simple eating establishment he designed, he took great pride in his work. In turn most of the people he worked for always came back for their next project. He was an excellent problem solver and could get things done especially if it was pertaining to design issues many could not solve. It was his keen eye and sharp knowledge that made him the true professional he was.

My father was also a very funny man and really enjoyed laughter. You would hardly ever see him without a smile on his face and always had a knack of being able to make people laugh. He could always find humor in some of the most twisted situations in which there were always many. I could not of asked for a more fun loving father. I think his funny views on life helped keep him alive especially when things got tough in his health. He also was the epitome of the life long 70’s dude. Whenever you were in his house you could count on having disco music playing in the back ground, or even worse he could delve deep into Barry White, Bee Gees, Donna Summer and the dreaded Manhattan Transfer . The only thing missing in his house would of been a crystal dance ball, although there were the days in the old house with the mirrored ceilings . He defiantly felt the 70’s was his funnest era.

Dad also was very kind. He always cared about the wellbeing of others and over the years he helped many people. The people he helped the most was his family. My whole life he has always been there for me and was always just a phone call away. He also was always there for his brother and sister in law and was very generous. He has numerous friends that have always told me “had it been for your father, I could of never done this”. While some could take advantage , he never let himself stop being the way he wanted to be in helping friends and family out. Dad has been a rock for me in the last few months while I have been in transition. His caring went deep and at times he could feel what you were going through and offer many suggestions based on his own experiences.

When I look back at my early life, I see the very tall man who always loved and adored me , Bo and Mary Jo. While he was not a very conventional father, he was a good father. You would never have to question his love for you. And through the years dad and I never ended a conversation with out an I love you. This included his and my last conversation on Saturday afternoon.

While I feel that Dad was taken away too soon, I am also very happy that he got to leave on his terms with dignity and peacefulness. As most of you know he could of left 9 years ago but I feel that maybe internally he felt his job was not over yet, and for this I thank Adonai our god.

As I look out at everyone here, his family, his friends, his business associates, I see the love and respect that everyone has for him and you all need to know he felt so much love and adoration for everyone here. I would like to think that he is smiling at all of us .

In closing I want to say Dad was a great man and I know that I will miss him always.

Thank you all for being a part of his life.