Leonard L. Copeland, 81, a lifelong resident of Kingfisher, Oklahoma, died Friday, December 7th 2018, surrounded by his family.
Leonard grew up on the family farm, northeast of Kingfisher, Oklahoma. He graduated from Big Four High School in 1955, where he was a talented basketball and baseball player. After high school, he went to Oklahoma A & M and graduated in 1959 with a Bachelor's of Science Degree in Agronomy. While in college he joined the Naval Reserves and was honorably discharged in 1963.
In 1960, he married the love of his life and high school sweetheart Carolyn Perdue. This blissful marriage was blessed by their four boys. In 1963, Leonard and Carolyn bought the farm next to where he grew up and remained the rest of his life. Leonard was a lifelong farmer raising chickens and selling the eggs. He also raised cattle, pigs, and sheep while growing wheat, corn, and canola.
He was very active in his community. He was a member and past President of the Lions Club, Board of Directors for Farmers Cooperative Supply, a director at Producers Marketing Corporation, an Executive Board Member for American Sheep Industry, President of Oklahoma Sheep Association, and coached Little League Baseball, where he passed his love of sports to his sons.
Leonard was a devoted member of the First United Methodist Church of Kingfisher. He served as a Sunday School teacher, a Lay Speaker and was part of the Emmaus group. Later in life he joined the Gideons group. He was also an accomplished musician, able to play anything with strings. He preferred the guitar, violin and steel guitar and in his early days he was in a country music band. Many nights, you could find Leonard and Carolyn playing music in their front room. He loved hunting duck and geese with his sons and with a group of friends he made while delivering eggs in Oklahoma City. He was a skilled mechanic and welder, a skill he learned in the Navy. He rebuilt many engines and also built and repaired many pieces of farm equipment. He also served as a substitute teacher at Kingfisher High School for the Auto-Mechanic class.
Leonard is survived by his wife Carolyn and their four sons: Douglas, Gregory and wife Shari, Michael and wife Donna, Steven and wife Nichole; Sisters: Evelyn Post and husband Albert, and Margaret Hixon; Sisters-in-Law Janet Copeland, Betty Perdue, and Mary Keefe; Grandchildren: Nicole Bush, Megan Copeland, Stevie Armstrong, Austin and Aaron Copeland and numerous nieces and nephews.
He is preceded in death by his parents Charles and Mabel Copeland; his Brothers: Glen Copeland and Eugene Copeland; In Laws: James and Anne Perdue; Brothers-in-law: Don Hixon, Marion Perdue, and Glen Perdue: and Sister-in-law: Katherine Copeland.
Funeral services will be held 10:00 a.m. Friday, December 14th at the First United Methodist Church in Kingfisher with Reverend Patrick McPherson officiating. Interment will be in Kingfisher Cemetery under the direction of Sanders Funeral Service.
In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that memorials be made to United Methodist Church Building Fund, Gideons International, Russell Murray Hospice, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, or the charity of your choice.