Obituaries

Jerry T. MoskalReporter

Jerry T. Moskal, 76, a former Gannett News Service reporter who in retirement covered the U.S. Tax Court for several newspapers, died of cancer June 13 at his home in Locust Grove, Va.

Mr. Moskal was born in Detroit. He served in the Army and spent two years in college before he was given the opportunity to become a reporter. He worked for 44 years as a writer for several newspapers, including the Lansing State Journal in Michigan, and as bureau chief for Michigan with Gannett News Service. From 1968 to 1972, he was White House correspondent for the news service. He returned to Michigan and then to the Washington area, working for Gannett in both places, before retiring in 1994.

After retiring and until his death, he wrote stories from the U.S. Tax Court for several newspapers across the country.

He was a member of St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Spotsylvania, the Society of Professional Journalists and the Knights of Columbus.

Two sons died before him, Mark Joseph Moskal, who died in 1978, and Timothy John Moskal, who died June 10 of a heart attack en route to see his father.

Survivors include his wife of 44 years, Nona Doris Moskal of Locust Grove; four children, Karen Lynn Moskal of Athens, Ga., Daniel Theodore Moskal of Chicago and Cynthia Helen Moskal and Randall Paul Moskal, both of Lansing.

Nancy L. Van EppsOccupational Therapist

Nancy L. Van Epps, 87, a retired occupational therapist and vocational rehabilitation counselor at St. Elizabeths Hospital, died June 20 of respiratory failure at the Azalea Trace retirement community in Pensacola, Fla. She was an Alexandria resident from 1961 to 1981.

Mrs. Van Epps was born in Boston and grew up in Fitchburg, Mass., and Worcester, Mass. She received a bachelor's degree from the University of Massachusetts in 1938 and taught high school American history. She worked as a 4-H Club county agent before joining the Army Air Corps in 1943. She served on Gen. Leon W. Johnson's staff as the cryptographic officer to the 8th Air Force, 14th Combat Bomb Wing, 44th Bomb Group.

In the early 1950s, she received a degree in occupational therapy from Western Michigan University and a master's degree in education and rehabilitation from Michigan State University. She worked as an occupational therapist at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Battle Creek, Mich., and as a public health sanitation inspector for Kalamazoo, Mich.

She moved to Alexandria when her husband was transferred to the Pentagon in 1961, and she began working at St. Elizabeths Hospital that same year.

She retired in 1981 and moved to Pensacola.

Her marriage to Walter L. Bunker ended in divorce. Her second husband, retired Navy Capt. Hugh C. Van Epps, died in 2003.

Survivors include a son from the first marriage, Bruce Bunker of Alexandria; a son from the second marriage, Neil Van Epps of Pensacola; two stepchildren from the second marriage, Hugh Van Epps Jr. of Vicksburg, Mich., and Susan Wade of Kalamazoo; seven grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

Isabelle Ogilby BarrNursery School Founder

Isabelle Ogilby Barr, 89, founder of a Kensington nursery school, died June 18 of pneumonia at Washington Home hospice. She lived in Chevy Chase.

Mrs. Barr was born in Washington and grew up in Chevy Chase. She graduated from the Potomac School and the Madeira School and attended Sweet Briar College in Virginia.

In the late 1940s, she founded the Barbelle Creative Center for Children in Kensington. She ran the school until her retirement in 1978 and maintained friendships with students and parents from the school for many years.

Before her marriage in 1940, Mrs. Barr was a volunteer at Children's Hospital.

She began to collect children's books and toys early in her life. She donated much of her collection to Kensington, and it was displayed in the town hall for a number of years. Her other interests included classical music, gardening and sailing.

In her teens, Mrs. Barr raced small boats competitively during summers in Gloucester, Mass. She and her husband later sailed for pleasure on the Chesapeake Bay.

She lived in the Rock Creek Hills section of Kensington for more than 50 years before she moved to Chevy Chase in 1996. She was a member of Christ Episcopal Church in Kensington and the Chevy Chase Club.

Her husband of 59 years, John L. Barr Jr., died in 2000.

Her son, Dr. John L. Barr III, died in 2004.

Survivors include her daughter, Margaret Barr Eastman of Chevy Chase; and two grandchildren.