Lois M. Copeland

Lois M. Copeland passed away peacefully at Royal Park of Matthews on 4/30/17. She was 100 years old. Lois M. Copeland was born to a farm family on 11/14/1916 in Washington Township,Westmoreland City, Pa. Her parents were Ralph and Minerva Walker Martin. Tragedy struck early in Lois's life when she lost her baby sister, Mary Louise, and soon after her mother. She was raised by her father and an aunt Emma Martin. She graduated from New Kensington High School in 1935. She then graduated from Duff's Business School in Pittsburgh. She worked for United States Forestry Service in Warren and then Philadelphia. She enjoyed her time there and traveled to NYC and Washington. World War II broke out during her stay. She talked about the rationing and talking with sailors from France and Britain whose ships were docked at the shipyards. After the war she returned to Western Pa to work at General Electric in New Kensington. She married W. Charles Copeland. Lois became an housewife, raising two sons: Carl and Robert. She grew vegetables, made butter, and kept chickens. She was a master cookie baker, messing up the diets of those fortunate enough to get a taste. Lois and Charles put both their sons through college; one to Pitt and one to Penn State. In later years they rolled their eyes as the sons argued the merits of both. Robert started his own tax business and family in Chicago. Robert raised two daughters, Ana and Jennifer, with his wife Reina. Lois would often communicate via handwritten personalized letters with her granddaughters. She had beautiful penmanship. She made a few trips to Chicago and enjoyed the Lincoln Park Zoo. In the 1990's Charles had to deal with several medical issues including celiac disease. Lois became an excellent gluten free cook in the days when mail order gluten free flour was the only option available. She also mastered home health care for Charles after his surgery. She admitted to being terrified of changing solutions and cleaning tubes and ports. But in her 70's she learned it well. The home care nurse, Marcina Biricocchi, who trained her became her best friend and the daughter she never had. Charles passed away in 1996. So in 1997 at age 80 she moved in with her son, Carl, in Charlotte North Carolina. She enjoyed the sights, sounds, and tastes of her new home. She loved feeding hummingbirds and listening to the little Carolina wren sing its songs. In the new warmer and longer growing season she grew many flowers on the back deck. She loved heading to Filbert SC for peaches in the summer and to the NC mountains for apples in the fall. She loved reading American history; especially about two of her heroes: Eleanor Roosevelt and Bess Truman. In her 90's, with her son's, help she learned how to surf the web and send emails. She enjoyed reading the Western Pa newspapers and searching for recipes on the internet. In 2006, she suffered another tragedy when she lost her son , Robert, to multiple myeloma. In 2015, she suffered a stroke that resulted in stroke inducted dementia. She moved to Royal Park Of Matthews, NC. She received wonderful care for two years from Rosetta, Paula, Sheila, Felicia, Janice, Kelly, Faye, Pam, Shay and many others. Brittany, Janet and the rest of Hospice and Palliative Care supported her tremendously. The family wants to thank them all for their love and support. A grave side service will be held in Western Pa at a date to be determined. In lieu of flowers memorials can be made to The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation https://www.themmrf.org/donate-to-mmrf/ She was preceded in death by her parents, Ralph and Minvera, her husband Charles and son Robert. Survivors include son,Carl Copeland, granddaughters, Jennifer Copeland and significant other Richard Barrios, Ana Molose, great grandchildren Anthony, Angelo, Jocelyn, Gino, and Aria, former daughter in law, Reina Dickens.

Lois M. Copeland

November 14, 1916 - April 30, 2017