William Robert Coupe

1924 - 2017

William (Bill) Robert Coupe
Oct. 6, 1924 ~ Feb. 23, 2017
Resident of Oakley, CA
A long-time resident of Alamo, Walnut Creek, Oakley, and Antioch in Contra Costa County, William Robert Coupe was born in Falls City, Nebraska on October 6, 1924. He died peacefully in Antioch California on the evening of February 23, 2017. A graduate of Sacred Heart High School, he joined the U.S. Navy in 1943 where he served on a variety of naval vessels as a radar man during WWII. Bill was preceded in death by his parents Henry and Helen Coupe, his sister Margaret Ramsey, his brother James Coupe who was killed in the South Pacific during WWII, and his wives (in order) Stella, Dorothy, and Elinor. He is survived by his sister, Rose Jensen of Chandler, AZ, his children Donald and Sandra of Northern California, and Robert Coupe of Wilton, CA. Bill is also survived by his daughter-in-law Melanie Coupe and grandchildren Keith Bailey, Brian Ferraro, Tyler Coupe, and Tara Coupe. During his marriage to Dorothy Coupe, he was stepfather to Katherine, Richard (deceased), Joyce and Steven Campbell of the Sacramento area and step-grandfather to their children Mark, Michael, Krista, Ricky, Justin, Katherine, Lindsey and Jillian. Bill owned auto parts stores in San Francisco and served as vice president and sales manager for National Auto Supply, before establishing Coupe's Auto Parts Warehouse in Concord in 1973. He also owned a furniture restoration workshop in Concord. In the 1960s, he was a partner in Aqua Gear, a skin and scuba diving business in San Francisco. He was an avid SCUBA diver and in the early days of the sport on the West Coast taught diving as a volunteer instructor for the YMCA in San Francisco and led dive expeditions along the California coast. He enjoyed diving in the Caribbean and travel with his wife Dorothy around Europe. Among the gifts he provided to his family is a love of the ocean, camping, and hiking. He was strict about protecting the natural environment wherever he went, insisting beaches, trails and campsites be left in better condition than when the family arrived. Please join the family in celebrating Bills' life at the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery on May 19, 2017 at 1:30 PM where he will be recognized with a Military Honor Ceremony and laid to rest. The cemetery is located at 5810 Midway Road, Dixon California.


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