I'm not sure if you'll even look at this seeing you posted it SO long ago-but no. It's NOT Epilepsy.

I have epilepsy, I'm only 20 yrs. old now, and all it is are random seizures. Depending on the person's certain triggers to them, you can have a range of seizures. My personal triggers are strobe lights, drinking, and not having enough sleep. I have Grand Mal seizures and partial tonic clonic seizures.

For Grand Mal, I'll never even know I had one other than having a "rat chewed" tongue and sore arms and legs from tensing up, I don't remember these.

And for the partial ones, I know they're coming on, but when I go into it, I can only hear what goes on around me. I have no way of saying to people I can hear them if they ask or control what's happening even if I try REALLY hard to calm down. :/

Absence seizures are when a person suddenly STOPS everything, and will often gaze into space but they don't move, it's as though the brain shuts down for a SHORT AND SMALL moment, but the person can't remember this.

AND getting back to your wife-
A memory laps is a memory laps, and your brain can develope wierd symptoms as you age. But sadly? It's almost sounding like she has the beginning of Alheimer's. Have you gone to have her checked by a doctor?