Photo © by: Jan Fendley

Helen Christine (Gentry) Copp
Aug 31,1934 - Feb 22, 2016

http://www.havenbrookfuneralhome.com

Helen (Gentry) Copp died Monday, Feb. 22, at her home. A celebration of life service will be held at 2 p.m. Monday at McFarlin United Methodist Church. Rev. Cal Brannon will lead the services. A family visitation will be from 3-5 p.m. Sunday at Havenbrook Funeral Home of Norman. (addition to obit) Because of Helen's love for the color blue, the family asks that you wear blue to the celebration of well-lived life Monday.

Copp was born August 31, 1934, in Muskogee to Charles and Christine Little Gentry, and they preceded her in death. She grew up across eastern Oklahoma as her father worked for the U.S. Corps of Engineers. She graduated from Muskogee High School in 1952 and took the lessons she learned about from her parents about family, hard work and the value of education to Oklahoma City, enrolling in Oklahoma City University to study education.

At OCU, she met John Copp, a basketball player for the Chiefs. During a break from basketball practice for Easter, they were married April 16, 1953, in Muskogee. They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 2003. He preceded her in death on Sept. 14, 2006.

They were the proud parents of three daughters and each has her own special memories of her mother. The oldest, Debbie, a longtime employee of the OU Athletic Department, learned to share her passion for reading and writing as they both worked for newspapers during high school. They enjoyed attending theatre performances together, going to Kinky Boots in Oklahoma City less than two weeks before her death. They also shared a love for the Sooners and she rarely missed an OU women’s basketball game. Her appreciation for the Sooners, though, had a rough start as she joined John for her first ever OU football game, proudly wearing a purple pant suit to the Sooners’ game … with Kansas State, something that caused much laughter in the family over the years. As John’s coaching career started, she was a loyal fan and she and Debbie joined John and his girls' basketball team from Noble on the team bus when Debbie was 3 months old. She continued to follow his teams across Oklahoma throughout his 20-plus-year career.

Cindy learned from her mother about the joy that comes from teaching. A teacher at OU, she has been recognized for her excellence in teaching by her students in the OU School of Accounting. She enjoys teaching and looks for ways to make accounting fun. Like her mother, she is quick to look for ways to help her students learn about the subject and find ways to experience success they never thought possible.

Their youngest daughter, Nancy, is a partner with New York Life, and Helen was proud that she had established a career for herself. Nancy learned the importance of family from her mother. She also learned from her mother about the strength you draw from your family and how that strength should be treasured and protected. She shared that love of family by watching her mom and now, as a grandmother herself, she has an even deeper appreciation for family.

Copp studied education at OCU, before taking a break from college to become a mother. She then completed her bachelor’s degree from Central State (now University of Central Oklahoma). She later earned a master’s degree from Southwestern Oklahoma State University and added various certificates throughout her career. Following her graduation, she began what would become a lifelong career as an educator.

She began her lifelong commitment to education as a first grade teacher in Oklahoma City in 1961-62. Following Nancy’s birth, she re-entered the field in 1964 in Anadarko Public School and during the next nine years she taught middle school reading, remedial reading and started the first class for students with learning disabilities in that district. In 1973, she continued her LD teaching at Crescent Elementary School. The following year, she joined the Kingfisher Regional Education Service Center as prescriptive teacher. For the next 22 years, she was employed as a psychometrist at both the Anadarko and Kingfisher RESC offices, as instructor in special education at Southwestern Oklahoma State University and as psychometrist in the Moore Public Schools. She began her career in school psychology in 1984 with the Norman Public Schools, working at the Phil Smalley Center and the Oklahoma Youth Center for five years. She then worked at the Leland Wolf School before serving as a school psychologist for the system for the final five years of her career. She retired from Norman Public Schools in June of 1996.

After joining Oklahoma School Psychologists Association in 1982, she began serving on the executive board in 1984, first as a representative from the mental health sector, then as president in 1988-89 and OSPA Today newsletter editor from September, 1990, until August, 1998. She became managing newsletter editor and executive secretary of the organization after her retirement from NPS. She was the recipient of the Fay Catlett School Psychologist of the Year award from the OSPA in 1990. In the spring of 1996, she was awarded an honorary OSPA membership. She was also granted the Maurice Walraven Award from the Oklahoma Federation of Council for Exceptional Children in 1990. She was instrumental in putting together the historical displays that helped OSPA celebrate its silver anniversary celebration in 1999.

Throughout her lifelong career in education, she was drawn to those students many ran away from, She was always prepared to be a voice for those who had none. In Anadarko, she was given the last hour “study hall” for junior high male students whose sport was not competing at that time. Recognizing their desire to compete, she taught the boys how to play chess and organized tournaments that kept them occupied (and learning) as long as they were in her study hall.

A longtime reading teacher, she turned tasks, whose goals were to increase reading speed and comprehension, into competitions. She found ways to make learning fun again, often for students others had little success with. She also made her classroom a safe place for students who needed a friendly face or a shoulder to lean on. She continued this unique ability to find ways to connect with her students even to the point of spending testing time with a young boy, who did not want to participate, discussing Perrier water while breaking barriers, making future testing a possibility.

Throughout her life, she demonstrated a rare combination of strength and grace. She also had a legendary stubborn streak. It was that stubborn streak, though, that saved John’s life and the family. In 1980, when faced with two choices and the consequences she laid out, John chose to become a friend of Bill W. For a number of years, the couple traveled around Oklahoma sharing their strength, experience and hope. She has been a sustaining presence in more than one Al-Anon group in the towns in which she lived and was active in Al-Anon until the final months of her life.

Whether it was a child learning to read, someone who needed to make life changes, a parent faced with difficult decisions about a child with academic challenges, a colleague who came to her for advice on becoming a better teacher or a first-time visitor to an Al-Anon meeting, she had a way of helping the person figure out what needed to be done. She helped them frame the challenge and shared her belief that they had the ability to do what needed to be done. Part of that was to help them understand she would be there with them throughout the process. That, also, usually meant a journey well beyond what the person originally thought possible.

While she took great pride in and dearly loved her children, she absolutely adored her grandchildren and, in recent years, her great grandchildren. The oldest, Lauren, always knew Gran would be there to support her … no matter what she was doing, whether it was a dance recital, a vocal performance or becoming a skilled doula. Brian, who shared his grandfather's love for basketball, knew his biggest cheerleader was Gran and she later demonstrated that well-known family support for her first-born of twin grandsons. Her grandson, David, earned special support from his Gran after he chose to enlist in the U.S. Army directly out of high school. While he was on active duty, she could be counted on for care packages, usually including his favorite cookies, sometimes a bit crunchier than planned. His year deployment was easily the longest year of her life and his return to the U.S. brought prayers of thanksgiving from his Gran. Alexis, who graduated early from OU in December 2014, now works at OU and has begun a master’s degree. She lived with Helen for several months and the two had a shared enjoyment for Wheel of Fortune, thinking they would make a successful grandmother/granddaughter team. They also enjoyed attending shows at the Lyric last summer and the brownies created by this duo were often shared and enjoyed. The youngest granddaughter, Annemarie, made her Gran very proud with all of her interests and her involvement with opera summer camp, plays and musicals. They shared a love of reading, board games and exploring the world around them.

More recently, another generation brought great joy to Helen. She has eight great grandchildren and they were much loved. She shared her love of reading with them, prompting six-year-old Christopher to share with his mother that “Mondays were my favorite day of the week as I got to spend them reading with GG.” He also knew that “the world is different without GG in it.” She loved to go to dance recitals for Paige and was looking forward to Madeleine’s first this summer. She was blessed with great grands, ranging in age from 16 years old to seven months. She loved getting to know the older two, Dylan and Zoie, and loved reading with the youngest ones, August, Eric and Grayson.

She was a longtime volunteer at the Sam Noble Museum of Natural History, enjoying her time in the Discovery Room because it was another way to be an educator. All it took was for someone to say “let’s go” and she was packed and ready. John and her daughters gave her a trip to Hawaii. She and her sister took an Alaskan cruise and a trip to England to visit their brother, who was serving as a visiting pastor. A lifelong member of the Methodist church, her ties to Norman started when her older brother, Bob Gentry, served as one of the early pastors of St. Stephen’s of Norman. He preceded her in death. She was very active in United Methodist Women and in various circles in the churches she called home. While a member of Moore First United Methodist, she was very active in circle and Seniors on the Go. With that group, she traveled around the state on various special trips and made a number of annual trips to the United Methodist Committee on Relief Sager Brown Depot, Baldwin, La. After a couple of those trips, she reunited with one of Debbie’s best friends from high school, who serves as director of the facility.

She is survived by her sister Mary Alice Bloss, of Park Hill, her husband Dean and their children; sister-in-law Eleanor Gentry of Tennessee and her children; three daughters Debbie Copp of Norman and her partner, Theta Dempsey; Cindy Cuccia of Norman and her husband, Andy; and Nancy Haase of Tulsa and her husband, Richard; five grandchildren Lauren Scarbrough of Edmond and her husband Tyler; Brian Zanotelli of Tulsa, David Zanotelli of Stillwater and his wife, Gina; Alexis Zanotelli of Norman, and Annemarie Cuccia of Norman; eight great grandchildren Dylan, Zoie, August, Eric and Grayson of Stillwater and Paige, Christopher and Madeleine of Edmond; cousins Nancy Lee McAlester, Jim Chandler and M.C. Hopkins; and numerous lifelong friends.

The family has asked that contributions be made in her memory to the Alzheimers’ support group at McFarlin Methodist Church, PO 6390, Norman, Okla., 73070, or the Women’s Resources Center, PO Box 5089, Norman, Okla., 73070. 

====================================================================================

John Thomas "JT" Copp
Jul 16, 1933 - Sep 14, 2006

http://www.havenbrookfuneralhome.com

John (J.T.) Copp died Thursday, Sept. 14, at Norman Regional Hospital following complications from surgery. A celebration of life will be 2 p.m. Monday at the Moore First United Methodist Church. A private family burial will precede the celebration. The Revs. Tish Malloy and Randy Little will lead the services. A family visitation will be 2-4 p.m. today at Havenbrook Funeral Home of Norman.

Mr. Copp was born July 16, 1933, in Elk City to W.L. (Landa) and Florence Gardner Copp, and they preceded him in death. Mr. Copp grew up in Carter surrounded by members of his father's family. He learned the power of unconditional love from his mother and from his father, he learned to work hard and be persistent. He also got his height from his father. As a high school sophomore, Mr. Copp, who was a standout prep athlete, and his parents moved to Mangum. He played baseball and basketball for the Tigers, using his 6-8 frame to be an intimidating force as a pitcher and prolific scorer in basketball. Mangum became known as a powerhouse in Class B, and Mr. Copp was part of a number of classic games throughout his high school career. One of those matched Mr. Copp's unbeaten Tigers with the Purcell Dragons and their sharp-shooting guard, Lester Lane, in a tournament final. The Mangum head coach told him he would need to outscore Lane for the Tigers to win and he told the coach that would take a lot of points. When the game ended, Mangum had won by one and Mr. Copp had outscored Lane, 28-27. Recruited by colleges nationwide, Mr. Copp signed with the University of Oklahoma and played for the Sooners one year before transferring to Oklahoma City University to play for legendary coach Doyle Parrack. While at OCU, he met Helen Gentry of Muskogee, and during a break from basketball practice for Easter, they were married April 16, 1953, in Muskogee. They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 2003 and she survives him at their Norman home. They were the proud parents of three daughters and each has special memories of her father. The oldest, Debbie, learned to share his passion and love for sports and the two spent many enjoyable hours together, sitting in the south end zone at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, watching the Sooners, traveling to Kansas City to watch the Big Eight Basketball Holiday Tournament or heading to Oklahoma City for the annual All-College Tournament. Her first road trip with her dad came when she was 3 months old and she rode the bus to a game with her mom and dad and his girls' basketball team from Noble. Cindy learned from her father that people can change for the good and the importance of taking responsibility for your actions and being able to apologize when your actions or words have hurt someone. The youngest daughter, Nancy, learned that it's always important to do whatever you can to help others and that help doesn't have to be perfect to be appreciated. Following his graduation from OCU with a bachelor's degree in education, Copp began what would become a lifelong career in education. He taught driver's education and coached at Noble in 1955. From 1956 until 1962, he taught fifth grade history and coached at Oklahoma City's Casady. He left the classroom, then realized a few months later that the change had been a mistake. He accepted a job in Anadarko as a teacher and coach. The family lived in Anadarko from 1963 until 1973. In that time, Mr. Copp taught and coached a number of sports before becoming director of athletics. During this period, he returned to college to work on his master's degree and certification as an administrator. He graduated from Southwestern State in 1971 with a master's of education. In January 1973, Mr. Copp became the principal at Crescent High School and the family lived there until 1979 when he joined the staff in Carnegie as the high school principal. After additional education, he became the coordinator of the drug and alcohol education program for the Moore Public Schools in 1982. He later returned to his first love, the classroom, teaching at Highland West, Brink Middle School and West Mid High in Moore. He retired from the Moore Public Schools in 1995. Mr. Copp became a friend of Bill W. in 1980 and for a number of years, he and Helen traveled around Oklahoma sharing their strength, experience and hope. While he held many things dear, his 25-year friendship with Bill W. was a measure of his love for his family. It also led him to a second vocation, serving as a drug and alcohol counselor and assessor on the staff of the Norman Alcohol Information Center, Inc. (NAIC). He began working there in 1984 and continued to work there until his death, taking unique pleasure in working with the junior high-age students and others whose paths he crossed. While he took great pride in and dearly loved his children, he absolutely adored his grandchildren. The oldest, Lauren, always knew Grandpa would be in the audience whether it was a basketball game, a dance recital or a vocal performance. Brian, who shares his grandfather's love for basketball, knew his biggest cheerleader, literally and figuratively, was Grandpa. David shared a special bond with his Grandpa as Mr. Copp taught him how to fish and the two spent many hours together on lakes around Oklahoma proving that fish really would "shake when they heard their names." Alexis, who has become a volleyball player, always knew that she could count on Grandpa for special surprises and support for anything she wanted to do from volleyball to dance recitals. The youngest, Annemarie, loved to share desserts with Pa, have sleepovers at Gran and Pa's house, read books with Pa and ride in the boat with Pa. He was a member of Oklahoma Board of Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselors, the Oklahoma Drug and Alcohol Professional Counselors Association, the National Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors, the Oklahoma Retired Educators and the OU Tip In Club.

He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Helen Gentry Copp; three daughters Debbie Copp of Norman, Cindy Cuccia of Norman and Nancy Zanotelli of Stillwater; sons-in-law Andy Cuccia of Norman and Eric Zanotelli of Stillwater; five grandchildren Lauren, Brian, David and Alexis Zanotelli of Stillwater, and Annemarie Cuccia of Norman; cousins Nancy Lee McAlester, Jim Chandler, M.C. Hopkins, Mig Howard and Buddy Howard; sister- and brother-in-law Mary Alice and Dean Bloss and their children; brother- and sister-in-law the Rev. Bob and Eleanor Gentry and their children; as well as numerous friends.