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Rex
Eugene Copeland, loving husband and father, passed peacefully on to
heaven Saturday, 12/15/2012, at the age of 94.
He
was born August 7, 1918, on a farm southwest of King City, MO, to
Benjamin Porter Copeland and Georgia Mae Vaughn Copeland. He was the
youngest of three sons. He attended school in a one room school house.
He later would begin his 40 year teaching career in a similar rural
school. He graduated from King City High School in 1937. He received a
Bachelor’s degree from Northwest Missouri State University where he
majored in Business and minored in Math, and later a Masters Degree in
Education from Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, TX. He was a
life-long member of the First Christian Church of King City, and also of
Port Arthur, TX.
He enlisted in the Army during WWII to help defend his country. He was
placed in the Army Air Corp, where he was a flight instructor. It was
during his time at the Corsicana Air Field in Corsicana, TX, where he
met the love of his life, Lois Madden. They were married November 9,
1944, and shared 68 wonderful years together.
After
teaching high school for 7 years in Lyman, WY, they relocated to Port
Arthur, TX, where the weather more suited his Texas bride. He taught at
Thomas Jefferson High School and Nederland High School. They raised 4
daughters, spending the winters in Texas and the summers in King City on
the farm where he grew up.
He was a member of the Texas Classroom Teachers Assoc., Texas State
Teachers Assoc., National Education Assoc., Texas Business Education
Assoc., Pi Omega Pi Fraternity, Phi Sigma Epsilon Fraternity, President
of the Port Arthur Classroom Teachers Assoc., NEA Delegate, and
Nederland High School Teacher of the Year.
He
took many students to the Texas UIL Typing Competitions producing many
finalists and a State Champion.
Rex had a very competitive spirit and enjoyed all sports, especially
golf which he played well into his 80’s. He loved traveling and
spending summers in King City, but above all, his family was most
important to him.
He was preceded in death by his parents and brothers Emile Murray
Copeland and James Vaughn Copeland.
He is survived by his wife of 68 years, Lois Madden Copeland, four
daughters: Shelley Copeland of Plano, TX; Joni Dixon and husband Randy
of Plano, TX; Robin Rodwell and husband Doug of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma;
Ginni Gilgour and husband Steve of Blue Springs, MO. Also 7
grandchildren: Lindsay Dixon Bradley, Lacey Dixon Wostal, Heather
Rodwell White, Ashley Rodwell, Wil Rodwell, Chase Gilgour, and Hailey
Gilgour, and one great grandchild, Olivia White.
Funeral Services will be 2:00 pm, Wednesday, December 19, at the First
Christian Church, King City, MO. Burial in King City Cemetery, King
City, MO. The family will receive friends from 6-8pm Tuesday at the
Roberson Funeral Home, King City, MO.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the First Christian Church
of King City in care of the Roberson Funeral Home, PO Box 153, King
City, MO 64463. Online condolences may be left at www.robersonfuneralhome.com.
(Note:
I took the above photo out of the TJ Class of 1955 Annual, his first
photo in the TJ Annual, which means he probably began teaching at TJ in
the Fall of 1954.)
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Cherry
J. Perley passed away August 12, 2011 at Providence after a short
battle with cancer. Cherry was born in Beaumont, Texas on October 13,
1943. She attended Lamar University in Beaumont and graduated with a
history degree. She spent most of her life in Texas and met and
married her husband there.
