SUSAN MARIE BARBER COPPEDGE

1960 - 2014

COPPEDGE, Susan Marie

Barber Died on December 6, 2014, at her home on Pleasant Bay in East Harwich, MA, after a long illness. Susan, who had what one friend calls "an amazing spirit for life," will be sorely missed by all, but especially by her family: her husband, Copey Coppedge (Roy F. III), their son, Peter Banks Coppedge (age 15), and their dog, Pandit. Susan was born on April 14, 1960, in Hendersonville, North Carolina, to Dr. Leonard Banks Barber (deceased) and Constance Clark Howard of Elizabethton, Tennessee. As a girl, Susan excelled in all her pursuits and loved active sports like skiing and water skiing. She treasured summers at Lake Lure, where her family had a house. She was the apple of her father's eye, and benefited for many years from the loving care of her stepmother, Elizabeth (Betty) Girard of Hendersonville. Susan graduated in 1982 from the University of North Carolina (B.S in Chemistry), where, she was an active member of the Delta Delta Delta sorority and, in the words of her brother, Bobby, "loved her Tar Heels." She always enjoyed going back to the North Carolina area, where, in recent years, she and Copey built a beautiful house in the mountains. Professionally, Susan was a gifted stockbroker and money guide. From 1984 - 1987, she worked with Dean Whitter Reynolds, Inc. in Winston Salem and then Boston, where she soon joined Smith Barney/CitiGroup Global Markets, Inc. She joined Morgan Stanley in 2006. At the time of her death, she was a senior vice president and part of Morgan Stanley's Boston Team, offering portfolio management, as well as financial planning and trust services. In her spare time, the vibrant and outgoing Susan was a gourmet cook and a loyal friend. She loved flowers, nature, art, beauty, adventure, travel. Most of all she loved spending time with Copey, Peter and Pandit. She was an attentive and generous stepmother to her four stepchildren - Schuyler, Walker, Luke and Sophie - and to their spouses and children. At holidays and birthdays, she showered family and friends with spectacular flower arrangements and thoughtful gifts. She had such energy for life that friends called her, affectionately, "Non-Stop." Ever a generous community member, Susan took an interest in people from all walks of life. Many are the family members and friends who credit Susan with loving help just when they needed it most. When a cause or charity spoke to her, she went far beyond a financial commitment: she jumped in, hands on, to help. The Park Street School in Boston, the Inner City Scholarship Fund of Boston, the MSPCA, and the University of North Carolina, all benefited from her efforts. Losing her father in 1985 to a brain tumor shaped Susan's perspective about giving. As she explained in the newsletter of the UNC Lineberger Cancer Center, "Sometimes it takes life experiences to make you realize how important it is to help. My father's death made me realize it's important not to take from life, but to try to do something to give back." During the last years of her too-short life, Susan battled courageously against the illness that finally claimed her. In this, as in all else, Susan was a "trooper" in the best sense: committed to the benefit of friends, clients and family; a diligent, honest and hard working contributor to the lives of those around her; and an outspoken advocate for the joys of life. In addition to her husband, Copey, and their son, Peter, Susan is survived by her step-children Schuyler, Walker, and Luke Coppedge and Sophie Coppedge Walker, their spouses Irene, Jill, Antonella and Brian, and their children Grace, Phoebe, Christopher and Luke; also by her mother Constance, her stepmother Betty, and her brothers John Sheldon Barber of North Augusta, SC and Robert Douglas Barber of Greenville, SC., their wives Kathy and Robin and six nieces and nephews. A Memorial Service for Susan will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 10, 2015 at St. Christopher's Episcopal Church, 625 Main Street, Chatham, MA. In lieu of flowers, donations in Susan's memory can be made to the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, 350 South Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02130. For online condolences, please visit www.nickersonfunerals.com