|
| |
Coppock Family © Cherokee Messenger and Republican 06-08-1989 Submitted by: Glenn
|
|
Crash takes life of three
Tragedy in the form of an oncoming car careening out of control on a busy interstate came to a former Cherokee family Saturday. Bruce (Skipper) Coppock Jr., 35, and his children, Andria, 11 and Sarah, 7, died in a headon collision Saturday morning on I-35 between West and Waco, Texas. Coppock's wife, the former Debbie Ryel, 35, was critically injured, and a third child, Marty, 10, suffered a concussion and bruises.
Funeral services for Skipper, Sarah and Andria will be at 2 p.m., Saturday, at the high school auditorium in Cherokee directed by Fisher Funeral Home. A nursery will be provided for family and friends at the Methodist Church. It will open a half hour before the service.
Coppock was the Son of Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Coppock Sr. of Cherokee, Debbie's parents are Mr. and Mrs. Bill Ryel, Kiowa, Kan., and Dee Ryel, Cherokee.
Coppock Jr. was an American Airlines pilot and a lieutenant commander in the naval reserve. At the time of the accident, he and his family had left their home in Weatherford, Texas, and were headed south on I35 toward Beeville, Texas, where he was an instructor for the reserves when he was not flying for the airlines.
Bernardo Villareal, 27, was driving north on the inside lane when his car veered to the right side of the roadway, then back to the left, running into and through the median, colliding with the southbound Coppock suburban. Coppock and Sarah were killed instantly, and Andria died shortly thereafter at Hillcrest Baptist MedicalCenter.
Villareal and his mother, Anita, 61, were also killed, and a 12 year old boy in their car was taken to another health center.
Mrs. Coppock and Marty were taken to Hillcrest where Debbie remained in intensive care this week. Marty was released and came back to Cherokee with his relatives.
Mrs. Coppock had surgery on Saturday for severe internal injuries and is expected to remain in intensive care for another week. She also had a broken arm that will have to be set within the next two weeks, according to a relative.
A family source said the highway patrol trooper who worked the accident throught the driver of the car might have gone to sleep as the road way was clear. An autopsy on the driver was ordered.
Coppock Family © Cherokee Messenger and Republican 06-1989 Submitted by: Tim Dotterer
Funeral services for Bruce "Skipper" Eldon Coppock Jr., 35, and his daughters, Andria and Sarah, will be at 2 p.m., Saturday, June 10, at the Cherokee High School Auditorium with Pastors Robert Hutson, Scott Hinshaw and Loren Ryel officiating. Burial will be in Cherokee Municipal Cemetery directed by Fisher Funeral Home.
They died Saturday in an automobile collision near West, Texas.
Coppock was born Nov. 10, 1953, to Bruce and Martha Wells Coppock in Cherokee. He graduated from Cherokee High Chool in 1972 and from Oklahoma State University in 1977. He married Deborah Ann Ryel Aug. 30, 1975, in Cherokee. They lived in Weatherford, Texas at the time of his death.
He was a pilot for American Airlines in Dallas, Texas and a U.S. Navy flight instructor at Beeville, Texas. He served in the navy as a fighter pilot for six years aboard the USS Nimitz. At the time of his death he was a lieutenant commander in the Naval Reserve. He was a member of Cherokee Friends Church and several pilots organizations.
He is survived by his wife Deborah and one son, Martin Ross, of the home; his parents of Cherokee; a brother, Keith of Angleton, Texas, and a sister, Pamela Applegate of Spearfish, S.D.
Coppock Family © Cherokee Messenger and Republican 06-1989 Submitted by: Tim Dotterer
Funeral services for Andria Leah Coppock, 11, and her sister Sarah, 7, will be held jointly with that of their father, Bruce. They died June 3 in a traffic accident near West, Texas.
Andria was born July 12, 1977, in Pensacola, FL., and was in the sixth grade. Sarah was born July 15,1981, in Virginia Beach, VA., and was in the second grade.
|C Surnames - Cherokee Municipal Cemetery| |Alfalfa County Cemetery Page| |Home|
This site may be freely linked, but not duplicated in any way without consent.
All rights reserved! Commercial use of material within this site is prohibited!
© 2000-2024 Oklahoma CemeteriesThe information on this site is provided free for the purpose of researching your genealogy. This material may be freely used by non-commercial entities, for your own research, as long as this message remains on all copied material. The information contained in this site may not be copied to any other site without written "snail-mail" permission. If you wish to have a copy of a donor's material, you must have their permission. All information found on these pages is under copyright of Oklahoma Cemeteries. This is to protect any and all information donated. The original submitter or source of the information will retain their copyright. Unless otherwise stated, any donated material is given to Oklahoma Cemeteries to make it available online. This material will always be available at no cost, it will always remain free to the researcher.