Nathan Kopec

1984 - 2022

Nathan Clifford Kopec Written by his mom January 21, 2022 was a dark, horrible, sad day for us. On this day, Nathan joined his family in heaven: his grandparents Val and Ollie Kopec, his uncle Cliff Kopec, sister-in-law Andrea Daer and grandfather-in-law Andre Claude. Left behind is his family on Earth: Nathan's wife Amanda Daer and children Reese and Easton Moore, his parents Barbara Kopec and Ron McLeod, his brother Anthony Kopec, his wife Bryn and their children Dayton and Grayson, sister and brother Madison and Kaelan, step-mother Kathy McFadden, step sisters Kandas McLeod and Marla (Chris Thurmeier) and their children Parker and Presley, in laws Dave and Colette Daer, sister-in-law Alanna Daer and her daughter Aubrey, grandmother-in-law Angeline Claude, and last, but not least, his fur babies Loki and Loka. Nathan was born in Weyburn on a Saturday afternoon on March 17, 1984. He attended St. Dominic and St. Michael schools and graduated from the Comprehensive school in 2002. From Nathan's time in school, Chantelle Brookes Turner shared this memory: "Sharing the classroom with Nathan was always entertaining. Having my own kids, two of them teenagers, I imagine Nathan was a handful at times. But man, oh man, was he a nice guy. I remember Nathan beaming from ear-to-ear when his grandparents came to the school either for activity day, to help tie skates, or to deliver cupcakes for the class on his birthday. Nathan could be quite the clown at school. The stunts he and Brennan Giroux would pull, it is no wonder that our teachers had gray hair. But again, even through he knew how to push everyone's buttons, it was never hurtful because you could feel his kind heart." Nathan loved all sports, as a student he played basketball, volleyball, floor hockey, curling and baseball. Every morning before 8 a.m. on my way to work, I dropped Nathan off at St. Mikes School so he could shoot baskets. Years later Nathan told me he wasn't always shooting baskets - he was serving morning detentions. I worked at the Weyburn Junior High School. The teachers on staff always had a hockey pool prior to NHL playoffs. I asked if Nathan could join in, he was in Grade 7 at the time. Everyday I photocopied the hockey stats from the Leader Post and bought him hockey magazines (no computers back then). He studied it all. I paid for his buy-in and dropped him off at the house the evening of the hockey pool. Next morning at work the teachers were laughing. My competitive son was the only one who showed up with a clipboard binder, stats, notes, paper and pen. He was ready, he was serious, and he won the pool. Nathan was brilliant in his knowledge of NFL, NHL, CFL and NBA player's names and stats. We told him he should be a sports commentator, but to those who knew him, know he was much too opinionated. My mom and dad were a constant in my sons' lives. Nathan loved his Grandpa and Grandma. Every weekend the three of us were at the farm. Nathan and Anthony spent hours with their Grandpa in the workshop, always building something. They collected rocks and bones on their hikes, built forts in the summer and the winter, drove the truck in the fields (even taking their Grandma out on a moonlight drive) and all the fun they had on their dirt bikes. When Grandpa passed away in 2008, Nathan had our cattle brand VK tattooed on his right side. Every Father's Day, between 6 and 7 a.m., you could find Nathan dressed in his suit, shirt and tie sitting on his lawn chair and visiting Grandpa at the Cedoux Cemetery. Nathan's friends were always welcome at the farm. His Grandma was the best cook and his Grandpa liked to tease and tell jokes, so everyone always had a good time. As he grew older, the friends became girlfriends. Nathan liked a good game of crib and if these girlfriends couldn't play crib, it could be a deal breaker. When Anthony married Bryn, Nathan gained a sister. He was so damn good at annoying her. The love between the two of them was there because Nathan had a sweet tooth and wow! Bryn can bake! Also looking after that sweet tooth was GG Mary Maas, she baked her pistachio cookies especially for him and he would not share those with anyone. The best thing in the whole wide world was when Nathan became an uncle. He just never stopped and kept Dayton laughing and giggling all the time. Grayson watched and listened to his uncle, analyzing uncle Nathan's thought process, then with his little grin occasionally questioned something uncle had said. Growing up Nathan had three good men in his life that helped define him: Grandpa Val (who the boys always said was more than just a Grandpa), Ron (Nathan was so proud to call him Dad) and his brother Anthony. Anthony was such a good big brother, trying to teach Nathan (who was only four months old) how to crawl, giving up some of his playtime at Daycare to rub Nathan's back to help him fall asleep at naptime, to protecting him from someone wanting to punch him out. Nathan played drums and guitar. Music was a staple to these two brothers, who were also great friends. Hours were spent sipping rum, playing guitar, singing and harmonizing. They were the best men at each other's weddings, helped each other establish their backyards, conspiring together to play practical jokes on friends and family, and offering each other support when it was needed. Nathan was an excellent dancer, polka, two-step, jive (ask us about the Charlie Major concert at the Regina Casino sometime) and the unique dance moves only Nathan could do after a few rum. Although he had known Amanda all his life, he met her in 2014 and saw her in a different light. She couldn't play crib, but somehow it didn't matter. Nathan had fallen in love. They shared a March 17 birthday. He said to me "Mom, I have to marry her, because it will be easy to remember my wife's birthday". They married February 16, 2017 in Jamaica (the 17th was booked). He always called his mother-in-law Mrs. Daer and always said his father-in-law got the son he always wanted. Nathan worked at the Dairy Queen, Carves on First, the City of Weyburn, Tenolds, Nexans, Crescent Point and J. Hamelin Industries. In March 2021, he was hurt at work and suffered a concussion. This concussion consumed his life with treatments, assessments, Physio, countless doctor appointments and dizzy spells. So many people came to support us at Nathan's memorial service. Thank You. The eulogy was written and read by Dustin Gerry and Kevin Kopec. Thank You. Father Francis gave a heartfelt, moving and passionate homily. Thank You. I know my Nathan's big heart and contagious personality will be remembered. Interment will be at a later date at the Cedoux Cemetery. In Nathan's memory, donations to the Weyburn Humane Society would be greatly appreciated.