Joseph (Joe) V. Copp, Jr., 83, of Rockledge, Florida, left this world on December 9, 2022. He was born on August 9, 1939 to Joseph V. Copp, Sr. and Naomi Thankful Hamby Copp in Topeka, Kansas.
Joe attended Topeka High School where he was an outstanding athlete and an impressive scholar, was a graduate of Washburn University and a member of the honorary math society Kappa Mu Epsilon. He was a U.S. Army veteran. Immediately after graduation, Joe began a lifetime career in the space field at Cape Canaveral where he was still employed at the time of his death.
He is predeceased by his parents and sisters, Jolene Bowers, Marge Whelan and Nadine Gies. Joe is survived by his wife of 34 years, Georganne Copp; daughter, Liesa Copp Payne of Englewood, Florida; sister, Darlene (James) Wyrsch of Blue Springs, MO; brother, Harry Copp of Dallas, Texas; and step-granddaughter, Casey Crumb of Florida.
His family will receive family and friends from 5:00 – 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, December 28, 2022 at Meyers Funeral Chapel, 1600 W. Main St, Blue Springs, MO. Memorial service will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the chapel. Memories of Joe and words of comfort for his family may be shared at meyersfuneralchapel.com.
“TO HONOR A VETERAN”
Thank you Joseph for serving our country. Because of your service you have given each and everyone of us are freedom to live and enjoy our lives.
God bless you for taking care of our country and for all the sacrifices you have made for our country for me and for all of us.
LINDA PETERSON
WIFE OF A (DECEASED) UNITED STATES ARMY VETERAN
I had the pleasure of working with Joe during a small part of his time in the space program. He was a wealth of knowledge that will be sorely missed amongst his colleagues. May his memory forever be a blessing to all who knew him.
May happy memories of times with Joe a veteran, athlete and scholar, bring comfort and joy to my Dad and Aunt Darlene as they mourn their brother’s passing. I pray for comfort & provision for Joe’s wife Georganne, his daughter Liesa & step grand daughter Casey.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4)
“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18)
“Consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” Romans 8:18
Mrs. Copp
While we have never met, I wanted to write to you and express my condolences to you on Joe’s passing.
I am relatively new co-worker here in Joe’s group. I felt compelled to convey my admiration and appreciation of him. Many I assume have said similar compliments, but I would like to just share how he affected me.
I was hired with zero experience of radar and was tasking with some of the same complex functions Joe does. I often would go to Joe with questions, some of which I didn’t even know how to ask. Joe always had a smile and warm welcome and above all patience to me seeking his wisdom and expertise. While many in his position might be put off or even offended that someone such as myself dare to assume I could do what he does, he was supportive and positive with his guidance.
While his career may be cataloged in launches and similar operations, radars calibrated, his legacy here is so much more. Our loss is so much more. The Eastern Range has lost in Joe’s passing the surety of his knowledge and wisdom. We have lost peace of mind that comes with knowing he was there to save the day. When no one else could solve the problem, we went to Joe. He was a giant among us.
I say this in closing, Joe was a blessing to me. I was humbled to have the opportunity to work and learn from him. He was a peerless professional and will be missed dearly.
I will be praying for your grief in his passing. I hope if in some small way you can be comforted to know that he will be missed by myself and those around me that so often leaned on him.
Respectfully,
Trent Bryant
P.S. Joe’s cube was next to mine. With due apologies for the unintentional eavesdropping, I envied him for the doting he way he spoke with you on the phone. I am inspired to conduct myself the same in dealings with my own wife. As no stranger to loss and grief, I know those calls are precious. I will miss them, though surely not as much as you.