John R. Copeland Sr.

12/28/2004

John R. Copeland Sr., 78, of Hyde Place died yesterday at Hillcrest Commons in Pittsfield. Born in Pittsfield on Nov. 5, 1926, son of Dr. Nathaniel Copeland, chief surgeon and chief of staff at the former Pittsfield General Hospital and House of Mercy, and Florence Smalley Copeland, he attended Holderness School in Plymouth, N.H., and graduated from Pittsfield High School. He also attended the Stockbridge School at the University of Massachusetts and later graduated from the Lewis School in Washington, D.C. An Army veteran of World War II, he served from 1943 to 1947 in the Pacific theater, including on Midway, Okinawa and in the Philippines. Mr. Copeland was employed in various capacities by the Schweitzer division of Kimberly-Clark Corp. in Lee for 20 years, retiring in 1992 as a film technician. He had earlier been a police officer in Pittsfield for 16 years, and had worked at GE. He was a longtime foster parent and outspoken advocate for children. He frequently lobbied for children's causes locally and at the Statehouse, and testified for laws to protect abused and neglected children. He was a former member of First United Methodist Church in Pittsfield. He was a frequent writer of letters to The Eagle, and an accomplished pianist and accordion player. He leaves two sons, John R. Copeland Jr. of Dalton and James N. Copeland of Becket; two daughters, Sandra E. Copeland of Lanesboro and Lisa A. Tobin of Tempe, Ariz., four grandchildren, and a great-granddaughter. FUNERAL NOTICE -- A memorial service for John R. Copeland Sr., who died Dec. 28, 2004, will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Berkshire County Special Olympics in care of DERY FUNERAL HOME, 54 Bradford St., Pittsfield, MA 01201. He will be lovingly missed by his grandchildren, Daniel Copeland, John N. Copeland, Matthew Copeland and Margo Tobin, and his great-granddaughter, Kathryn Copeland.

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