Elizabeth Henderson Jepson

Elizabeth Henderson Jepson, beloved wife of Bryan Leigh Jepson and daughter of George and Linda Henderson, died unexpectedly but peacefully January 31, 2020, at her home in Wichita, Kansas.  She was a lovely, vivacious, and caring woman, who brought light and joy to all whom she met. We treasure our years with her. Elizabeth was born April 10, 1983, in Austin, Texas, and spent most of her early life in Austin.  She graduated from St. Stephen’s Episcopal School in 2001 and from the University of Texas at Austin (Plan II) in 2005.  During those years, she was an avid equestrienne and spent a great deal of time with her horse, Ellington (Jazz), practicing and competing in Hunter Jumper riding events.  While at UT, she adopted her first rescue dog, her beloved Montgomery, a Miniature Pinscher who launched a passion for rescue dogs.  This passion for rescue, including elderly hospice dogs, became central to her and Bryan in their years together. She graduated from Texas Tech University School of Law in 2009.  In law school, Elizabeth served as the Executive Managing Editor of the inaugural volume of the Estate Planning & Community Property Law Journal and as an Articles Editor of the Texas Tech Law Review.  The most significant event in law school, however, was that she met Bryan, the love of her life, when randomly assigned to an editing exercise.  They were married in 2011 and began life together in Amarillo, where they each practiced law.  In 2015 they moved to Wichita, Kansas, and continued their legal careers, while creating a warm and welcoming home for themselves, their friends and colleagues, and their rescue dogs. Elizabeth practiced law with Brown & Fortunato, P. C., based in Amarillo, Texas throughout her career.  She held a certification in Health Law from the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and was a member of the Texas, Kansas, and Missouri bars.  She was also a member of multiple bar associations and of the Institutional Review Board at the Texas Tech Health Sciences Center-Amarillo.  Clients from across the country relied on her for advice and guidance in complex regulatory matters and substantial business transactions, and she worked tirelessly on their behalf. Elizabeth was named for both her grandmothers, Betty Henderson and Elizabeth Dalrymple, and from the beginning, Elizabeth loved spending time with family.  Holiday trips to the Henderson home in Pampa, Texas were an annual highlight for her. From the many happy Christmases spent in Pampa, she was devoted to her Grandmother Henderson, and to her two aunts, Anne and Harriet, to whom she was very close.  She loved her brother, Andrew, and the two were dear friends, along with their spouses. Upon the passing of Grandmother Henderson, Elizabeth became the baker of her grandmother’s legendary Christmas morning cinnamon rolls and carried on her counted cross-stitching, making new Christmas stockings as the family grew. Elizabeth was the family’s can-do girl, who could always be counted on to get things done and solve problems, and she taught her family much in that process.  She was a devoted and caring friend, who showed love through action and was eager to undertake any task to help a friend.  Elizabeth was loved by all who knew her.  She indeed left this world a better place than she found it. Elizabeth is survived by her husband, Bryan, and their four beloved rescue dogs, by her parents, George and Linda Henderson, as well as by her brother Andrew and sister-in-law Kiera, Henderson family aunts Harriet Coalter (Joe Coalter) and Anne Henderson (Jim Womack), uncle Frank Henderson (Virginia Henderson), and Dalrymple family aunts Ann Knapp, Mary Putnam (Chase Putnam), and Nancy Sutton.  She is also survived by four Henderson family cousins, their spouses and children, and by ten Dalrymple family cousins, their spouses and children. On February 18, 2020, at 4:00 pm the Brown & Fortunato law firm will hold a gathering in her memory at the Botanical Gardens at the Medical Center Park in Amarillo, Texas. A memorial service in celebration of Elizabeth’s life will be held on Saturday, March 7, 2020, at 1:00 pm, at University Presbyterian Church in Austin, Texas.  If you wish to make a gift in her memory, the family would ask that you consider Texas Panhandle Pet Savers (http://texaspanhandlepetsavers.org/) in Amarillo, the We are Grateful Sanctuary (WAGS), a small breed dog sanctuary in Sumner County, Kansas (https://www.facebook.com/Wagsanctuary/), or another charity of your choice.