1,500 gathered at Temple to remember JoAnne A. Epps. Here’s what some of them had to say.

On the back of the program for JoAnne A. Epps’ funeral service was a Maya Angelou poem:

“When great trees fall,” it begins, “rocks on distant hills shudder.”

One could say it was the Temple University community that shuddered Friday as it said goodbye to Epps — one of its greats — who had been serving as acting president when she died suddenly last week. A petite woman with a bright smile that lit up any room, she had a giant impact on the school she served for nearly 40 years.

» READ MORE: Temple’s acting president, JoAnne A. Epps, has died after falling ill on stage at university event

Epps, a Yale law school graduate who grew up in Cheltenham, was remembered for the students she mentored, the fellow employees she inspired and aptly led, the young lawyers she nurtured, the friends and family she cared for and lifted up, and the university she put off retirement for to serve when there was need.

The former law school dean and provost died after she fell ill on stage at a university ceremony in memory of historian and author Charles L. Blockson, who was the curator emeritus of the Blockson Afro-American Collection.

“She died as she lived, shining a light on someone else,” said Elmer Smith, a longtime friend and former Philadelphia Daily News columnist.

About 1,500 people gathered at Temple’s Liacouras Center to celebrate her life, including fellow college presidents Neeli Bendapudi of Pennsylvania State University, John A. Fry of Drexel University, Valerie Smith of Swarthmore College, and Jim Cawley of Rosemont College.

Also attending were Mayor Jim Kenney, City Council members, and state legislators, along with prominent lawyers and judges. Dozens of Epps’ family members, including her husband, L. Harrison Jay, who worked at Temple for decades, filled the front rows.

» READ MORE: Hundreds gather to remember Temple’s JoAnne A. Epps during Temple vigil: ‘We are her legacy’

Classes were canceled for the day. Administrative offices were closed, and the event was livestreamed so more could participate.

Epps was religious — in her home office was a sign she printed and taped to the wall: “THE LORD HAS BEEN GOOD” — and prayer and music featured prominently in the service.

“We have lost a mighty oak. We have lost a dear friend,” said the Rev. Marshall Mitchell, pastor of Salem Baptist Church in Abington.

She will be buried Saturday at Fairview Cemetery in Willow Grove.

» READ MORE: From Cheltenham to Temple and all stops in between, JoAnne A. Epps made people feel ‘special, important, and seen’

In video tributes, statements, and in-person testimonials, those who knew her shared their memories of Epps during the two-plus-hour ceremony. Here’s what some had to say:

The two shared a passion for promoting social justice and a strong commitment to increasing diversity in the legal profession over their decades-long friendship, she said.

They taught a law school class together last semester on gender equity and the legal profession. “She told the class that when she was a young lawyer, she rarely ever saw lawyers who looked like her and therefore she wanted to be the resource for young lawyers that she never had.”

“We also made each other laugh, and we loved our retail therapy and especially shopping for shoes.”

They were members of the Old Bags Club, “started 25 years ago when the name was funny and ironic rather than descriptive” and the “Bad Ass Book Club.” She recalled how Epps came to the first book club meeting “in her typically diligent fashion ... fully prepared to discuss the book” with passages highlighted and tabbed — only to find out “we rarely spoke about the book and we were much more interested in the food and drink to order, politics, and Philly gossip.”

He recalled taking Epps to his favorite restaurant, “a hole in the wall,” in Tokyo when they were on a trip together. The owner was so excited to see them, he made a special appetizer, raw octopus with its tentacles.

“You should have seen the look on her face. Then she asked me, ‘Is this important?’ JoAnne was JoAnne. She took those chopsticks and she gobbled down the octopus with the tentacles. JoAnne understood how important it was to [the owner].”

Banks spoke with fellow lawyers and Temple alumni Carlton L. Johnson and Joe H. Tucker Jr. by her side.

“Together we symbolize the myriad of students and lawyers, Black, white, brown, Asian, Latina, LGBTQ+ who were fortunate enough to have their lives deeply touched and profoundly influenced by JoAnne Epps. ... For us, Black lawyers in a sometimes unforgiving legal world that she knew we were navigating on a daily basis, the guiding hand of someone who looked like us meant the world.”

The two shared with the audience Epps’ endearing quirks.

She had a desk drawer that looked like CVS, with nail files, lotion, makeup, Band-Aids, Motrin, and a curling iron. “And we never saw anyone curl her hair as quickly as JoAnne.”

She loved going to the dentist, and dancing to Motown music, they said. She hated exclamation points and thought flavored coffee was awful.

“And if you put flavored creamer in her coffee, there was something wrong with you.”

She loved gadgets and shared them with friends. They each got a dozen battery-operated candles that Epps discovered “because she was on candle probation at home for having melted her TV.”

Some of Epps’ favorite sayings? “I’m a hot mess.” “That’s a bad fact.” “Yeah, I’m not doing that.” “I’m so blessed.”

“The magic of JoAnne is that she had the ability to make each and every one of us feel special.”

In her early life, Epps was already achieving firsts: the first Black cheerleader at her high school and the first Black vice president of the senior class. She went on to continue her legacies of firsts as Temple’s first Black female law school dean, first Black female provost, and first Black female president.

Giants are usually thought of as “big, hulky guys,” he said, but Epps clearly meets the qualifications, given her accomplishments.

“Today, I’m going to give JoAnne the official title as the first female giant.”

He talked about his decades-long friendship with Epps and her husband and the “warm, welcoming atmosphere in their home. JoAnne would make a fuss over you, but didn’t expect you to respond in kind.”

She took charge of her husband’s recovery after he suffered a stroke, down to keeping a detailed list of all his medications and the times they were to be taken.

“I saw her confer with his care team, making sure everything was in place as she got him home. Her attention to detail was incredible.”

“JoAnne has left for us a legacy of caring, competence, collaboration, commitment, and always, always compassion. ... We will devote ourselves to carrying forward JoAnne’s legacy, and shame on us if we don’t work together in love and common purpose to build on that legacy and to make the world better.”