Vera L. Cope Obituary (1916 - 2014)

Vera Cope loved to travel. Everyone who knew her had listened to her stories of hiking in the national parks all over the continental US, Canada, Hawaii and Alaska. We would listen to the awe in her voice as she described visiting Israel to walk where Jesus had walked. This Sunday morning, July 13th, 2014, (and after a brief time of fond farewells with family), she caught her final flight heaven bound. By now she's surely cleared customs, is hiking around some pretty remarkable new landscapes, and walking along with Jesus first hand. She's had a chance to spend some quality time with Georgie Porgie, her hubbie of so many years who went on ahead back in 1978. I can see them together again, Vera on the piano with George tuning up his fiddle, getting ready to play for all the other friends and family who managed to sneak on board before her over the years. Vera was born second of seven children (four girls and three boys) on a farm outside Indianola, IA in the summer of 1916. Mom and dad were Edna and Ben King. She spent her childhood school days at an old one-room schoolhouse (the like you don't see any more since they stopped filming Little House on the Prairie), and followed in her mom's footsteps to become a teacher straight out of high school. Her youngest sister came along when she was about sixteen, and perhaps Vera thought "If I have to help raise any more kids, pretty soon they better be my own". She might have gotten that idea from her older sister, Lois, who made sure she was married at 18 right before the new addition arrived. To that end over the next few years (and after a few dates with boys who just didn't quite pass the test), she met the love of her life, George Cope, the youngest son of a farming family in Carlisle, a little town not too far down the way. She thought him tall, dark and handsome, with that extra "something" she hadn't found before. He minded his p's and q's (as is only proper you know), and when she had reached a respectable 21, they sneaked off to be married. She taught school for a while until the kids came along, and then turned her time and talents to being the best mother and wife she could be. True to her fine Christian walk, she taught Sunday School and served as church pianist at Avon Community Church until she reached her nineties and literally couldn't climb the three steps to the church platform. Even though she could no longer serve in those capacities, she remained a prayer warrior for the rest of her life. It's funny, that snot nosed littlest sister (Nadine) that was mentioned above, is the only one left behind now. She treasured her children (Wayne, Sandra, Larry and Cheryl), and all the grandchildren, great grandchildren, and even a couple of great-greats that came along as the years rolled by. She was a much-loved and respected mother-in-law to Judy, Max, Susie and Dana. Family was a big deal for Vera, and we all spent time with the many aunts/uncles and cousins attending countless potluck gatherings for holidays, reunions, and just for fun. The fellas playing cards over in the corner, with the ladies visiting here and there. Kids running around like wild Indians having a ball. As the children grew to the point where having mom at home was not a necessity, Vera decided to try her hand at working outside the home. She never much liked sitting around the house watching television, and since Forrest Gump hadn't hit the theaters yet, I guess the idea of just sitting on the stoop out by the road waiting for the school bus to bring the kids back home never occurred to her. The family farm had shrunk down to the point where it didn't require much effort, and a little extra cash for the piggy bank sounded pretty good. She ended up taking a job at Farmers Casualty Insurance where her older sister Lois worked, and stayed there for 15 years until she retired. Even though by then Wayne and Sandy had moved into adult life on their own, she was still around for all those ball games, track meets, choir and band performances, etc for Larry and Cheryl the two still at home. She may have pioneered the idea of the working mother who has it all without compromise. Quite an accomplishment, especially back in the 1960's. The Cope family was a musical one from the git-go. George was accomplished on the violin (or fiddle as he was wont to say), and Vera accompanied him at every performance. They often played for square dances, and other events around Carlisle, Des Moines, and Indianola. The joy of music was in every nook and cranny of that home, and once television came along, watching Lawrence Welk on Sunday nights was a family tradition. The radio or phonograph would play regularly as she puttered around the kitchen or attended to other housework. All the children were encouraged to take up an instrument, and participate in band or chorus at school. Vera's love of travel came along after George passed away. Suddenly with time on her hands, and no one to share it with she thought she would take a summer job at Denali National Park in Alaska. She loved hiking around with new friends she met there who were from all over the world. People that she continued to correspond with for years after those summers ended. She spent so much time at all the parks, that she became a "Gold Member" and had a card that allowed her free entry into any national park in the United States. Regular travel became a part of her life for many years. She had done some travelling with school friends as a young woman, and once her years as a full-time wife continued... 1 2 Next ...continued and mother were at an end, the travel bug came back around for a second nibble. As she moved into her eighties, she started to lose her ability to tolerate the physicality involved in that kind of travel. She was forced to hang up her baseball cap (the mainstay of her hiking "outfit"), and stay closer to home. She turned her energies toward gardening, and regular walks around her local neighborhood. She certainly missed being able to travel, and experience the sights and sounds people and places of the world we live in. Vera we will miss you, but keep an eye out for all the best spots in town up there, and have George keep his fiddle at the ready. We'll be along soon enough.... Previous 1 2