Harry Lee Copeland's Obituary
Harry Lee Copeland went to be with his Lord and Savior on Monday, September 11, 2023, at 4:28 PM.
He was the only child of Nadine Thatcher Copeland and Walter Lee (Jack) Copeland. Harry was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma on August 22, 1939, and passed away at home at the age of 84.
Harry met the love of his life, Mary Louise Bell, at Northeastern State College in Tahlequah, OK in September 1960. They met in Accounting I where they were seated in alphabetical order, she a B and he a C. By Accounting II they were engaged and during the summer they were married before Intermediate Accounting. They were expecting their first child by Cost Accounting. Harry Graduated with his BS in Business in May 1963. Harry was employed by Cities Service Petroleum (Citgo) in Bartlesville, OK on August 1, 1963, and Teresa Louise Copeland was born on August 14, 1963. Harry was transferred to Tulsa in 1964 before the whole Bartlesville office moved to Tulsa. Leigh Ann Copeland was born in Tulsa in 1966.
In 1972 the little family of 4 moved to Rural Claremore at Pony Lakes Estates and the kids went to Tiawah School where Harry was a member of the School Board. Harry commuted to Citgo at 61st and Yale in Tulsa where he was a Financial Analyst in the Gas and Lubrication Department. He retired from Citgo in 1996 but continued working at the same desk another year as a Contract Laborer. He officially retired in March 1997 and the adventure began.
Harry and Mary loved to go camping. They were planning to purchase a camping trailer to pull with their Hi Rise Van but then were told that 5th Wheel RVs were more stable to pull. They purchased a 5th wheel and asked the seller if they would haul it to Pine Island on Grand Lake where they had a membership at the 5 Star RV Resort. Each week they would call ahead and ask that their RV be set out and then return after the weekend to the enclosed area. Harry loved being the captain on their 20-foot Pontoon boat, fishing and making new friends at Pine Island.
On a tent camping vacation in Colorado, they found a beautiful acreage that faced the Spanish Peaks Mountains. In was located at Navajo Estates off 160 highway 8 miles from Walsenburg and 8 miles from LaVeta, CO. The dream was to build a cabin on the 3.6 pinioned acres. In September 1999 they finally purchased a dually 1-ton pickup and hauled the 5th wheel to Colorado to start building. They wanted to build a Styrofoam block house but didn't know how. They met a neighbor who was planning on building a form block house and they volunteered to help him so they would learn how to do theirs. Mary & Harry worked 11 days with the neighbor couple to complete the basement portion of their home. They came back to Claremore and a week later Harry went out by himself to help the neighbor complete his home.
June 1, 2000, they began work on their cabin which turned into a 3200 sq foot, 2 story, Santa Fe home, made of foam blocks for the basement and SIP panels for the upper floor and roof. Harry did all the electrical work as well as laying the plumbing, but he hired a plumber to glue the pipes just in case.
They had 16 happy years living in La Casa Maria (Mary's House) in Navajo Estates on Elk Trail. If you ever drive West on Highway 160 out of Walsenburg, you can look to the right and see their Santa Fe home sitting proudly about a half a mile off the Highway.
Harry had many hobbies. He was a Amateur Radio Operator and had his General License. He rebuilt a 1947 Packard Sedan that he paid $35 for. It had been sitting in a field in Nebraska for 4 years. He loved boating and was an excellent water skier in his youth. He was a target archer and won several tournaments. He loved collecting guns. The first gun he purchased was from J.M. Davis at the Mason Hotel. He had earned the money in the hay field when he was 16 and rode his motorcycle to Claremore to purchase the cap and ball pistol. Mr. Davis told him it had belonged to a notorious outlaw but had no paperwork on it. He even made a drill to drill a piece of round steel 36” long to make his own Daniel Boone Rifle. He also carved the stock out of a piece of maple wood. Harry wasn't a hunter he was a target shooter and loved Bulls Eye shooting. When he designed his downstairs hobby room, he included a 52 foot long 22 shooting range and a secret room for his gun safe and ammunition. He never completed the shooting range due to health issues. If you knew Harry, then you knew he was an avid reader and had stacks of books all around his easy chair. He built a 24-foot-long wall bookshelf, floor to ceiling, and filled it. The 52-foot-long potential shooting gallery became a 52-foot-long bookcase for pocketbooks that would fit between the 6” studs. When the Copeland’s moved, Harry gave a pickup load of books to the LaVeta Library and another load to the Spanish Peaks Library in Walsenburg. He still brought 34 boxes of books back to Claremore.
Harry and 3 friends started the Spanish Peaks Gun Club. They did all the work to make a very nice shooting range when Huerfano County took back their lease to sell the land. That didn't stop the target shooting. They just found friends who had personal shooting areas in the country and shot with them.
Another thing about Harry. He loved his Pepsi and Snicker Bars.
Harry loved the Lord and accepted Christ as his Savior as a young boy at Lynn Lane Baptist Church but reaffirmed his commitment during a Christian Marriage Encounter Weekend with Mary in 1980. He was a member of the First Christian Church in Claremore for 26 years before moving to Colorado. In Walsenburg he was a member of Calvary Baptist Church and sound operator. For the last nine years before moving back to Claremore he was a member of Huerfano Community Bible Church an Independent Baptist Church. Harry never missed Service. He loved Bible Study and could not wait for the next lesson each Thursday evening. Upon moving back to Claremore, he and Mary followed their children to the Fellowship Community Church in Oologah, which was closed in 2019 due to Covid 19. They happily moved their membership a mile from home to Washington Baptist Church.
He is survived by his wife Mary of the home, daughter Teresa Copeland Harmon and husband David, daughter Leigh Ann Copeland Bump and husband, Brent. Four grandchildren and spouses: Davy & Erica Harmon; Alyssa Bump Mader and husband, Paul; Chelsea Harmon Travis and husband, Brennan, all from Claremore and Baryn and Bailey Bump of Wichita, Kansas. Great Grandchildren include Hayden Travis, Asher Mader, Everett Mader, Dylan Travis, and Millie Bell Mader. 1st Cousins/siblings: Dewayne and Sue Pierce, Mary Ann and Jerry Philpott, and Anita and Billy Walker.
He was Sooner Born and Sooner Bred
and when he died, he was Sooner Dead.
Oklahoma, Oklahoma, Oklahoma!
OKU!
The family requests everyone celebrate Harry by wearing anything OU; or red and white colors
Celebration of Life Memorial Service will be at 2:00 PM, Sunday, September 24, 2023, at Washington Baptist Church in Claremore.
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