Carole Joyce Copp

Carole Joyce Copp was born on October 21, 1942 in Greenwood, South Carolina to Rosemary Motsinger Trakas and David Thomas Joyce. She had a younger sister (Barbara) Anne whom she loved dearly. As youngsters, they loved to get each other in trouble and delighted in the consequences that the other received for their misdeeds.
Carole grew up on a farm and learned how to milk a cow, kill a chicken, drive a tractor and cure tobacco. More than once, she supervised the farm hands when her daddy was away. She learned to be fiercely independent and self-reliant at an early age. Carole started driving a car at the age of 10 but didn't actually get her license until the age of 14.
As a teenager, Carole was popular in school and an excellent student at Greenwood High School. She and her friends enjoyed hanging out at Lake Greenwood and going water skiing. She frequently found herself at the top of pyramid formations while on waterskis.
Carole started college at Lander College in Greenwood, SC, transferring to the University of South Carolina her junior year where she earned her bachelor's degree in education. She was a member of Zeta Tau Alpha sorority.
Carole met the love of her life, Skip Copp, after a friend arranged for Skip to pick up Carole and a few sorority sisters for a gathering at Lake Murray, outside of Columbia. They spent the day water skiing, talking, and hanging out while he played guitar. Carole said that she knew Skip was "the one" that very first day they met.
She and Skip married on December 30, 1966 while he was home on leave from the United States Navy. They briefly honeymooned in Atlanta until Skip had to return to the Naval submarine school in Connecticut.
Carole became a Navy wife living in Connecticut. She taught school and traveled to meet Skip when she could. When his submarine made port at St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands, she and a friend flew down to meet Skip and her friend's boyfriend while they were on shore leave. At that time, she was six months pregnant with their first child. Carole was the only one old enough to rent or drive a car and buy alcohol. When sightseeing around the island, the four of them piled into a tiny Volkswagen Beetle.
Carole and Skip welcomed their first child Cassandra "Casey" Ellen in 1968. She was a wild and spunky redhead. Carole traveled multiple times from Connecticut to South Carolina in a station wagon with Casey and her beloved dogs Gretchen and Satan to be with family while Skip was away on naval missions.
Kendall Anne joined their growing family in 1970. After her birth, Skip was transferred to Charleston, SC. She shared tales of how they spent so much time on Folly Beach, where Kendall learned how to walk at eight months old during her time on the beach. As unbelievable as it seems, she wasn't able to walk once she had shoes on her feet.
Keri Elizabeth was born in 1972 and Skip and Carole believed that she had completed their family. Carole often shared how tough it was to have three young kids, especially when she couldn't put Keri down for the first two years of her life. She was a devoted and amazing mother.
In 1974, when Skip left the Navy, the family moved to Charlotte where he went to work for Duke Power Company. Following their move to North Carolina, Carole discovered she was pregnant with their fourth daughter, Kristen Ashley. Carole spent the next four years sleeping in a recliner due to their sleepless, but happy, little accident.
To Carole, family was everything; Pat, her sister- in-law, was always more of a sister of the heart. Even though Pat lived in Massachusetts, they chatted often, but only after 11pm to avoid exorbitant long distance rates at the time.
Carole stepped up for organizations and causes that were important to her and her family, working tirelessly in schools to support her daughters' educations. She was a PTO advocate and even campaigned for school board candidates in which she believed. She was heavily involved in her girls' lives and volunteered often. One year, she became Girl Scout Cookie Mom of the Year for helping sell over 3,000 boxes of Girl Scout cookies!
Carole took a part-time job in 1988 as an inside sales representative working for her friends Tom and Maryanne Ludwig at Ballantyne, Ludwig and Smith. Her nickname was "Fin" for her ability to finish things and have it be right every time.
Carole's work schedule allowed her to spend a lot of time with her grandchildren. She spearheaded events involving the family including dinners, beach trips, fishing, swimming and gem mining. Carole also attended virtually every recital and most sporting events in which her grandchildren participated.
Carole loved listening to the music of Elvis, Neil Diamond, and Elton John. She attended every concert that Neil Diamond ever played in Charlotte. One of her more memorable evenings was the farewell tour concert of Elton John in 2019 with all four daughters and three granddaughters. But her true happy place was on the beach looking for shells and sharks' teeth with her family. Carole was also the catalyst and organizer for many beach trips with members of our extended family. She would spend hours upon hours researching houses to accommodate 50+ family members that would gather in any given year.
In addition to being the best wife, mom, and CeCe to her grandchildren, Carole was an avid golfer and enjoyed her weekly or bi-weekly rounds with the 18-Holers at Pine Lake Country Club, where she was a member for nearly 45 years. Carole played golf throughout her entire life despite numerous health challenges.
Carole passed away on Saturday, December 28, 2024 surrounded by her family after a courageous three-year battle with acute myeloid leukemia. The family would like to specifically thank Dr. Nilay Shah and Rebecca Greene, RN plus all of the wonderful staff at Levine Cancer Institute in Charlotte, NC.
Carole is survived by her husband of 58 years, Glenn Arthur "Skip" Copp III of Mint Hill NC, her sister Anne Pittman (Louis) of Greenville SC; her daughters, Casey Allison (Lee) of Gastonia NC, Kendall Taylor (Rob) of Matthews NC, Keri Patterson (Dan) of Huntersville NC and Kristen Shaver (Edwin) of Indian Trail NC; grandsons Alex Taylor, Todd Patterson and Lucas Shaver; granddaughters Anna Campagna (Jordan), Kaely Patterson and Jenna Shaver.
A service honoring Carole's life will be held at Lowe-Neddo Funeral Home on Saturday, January 11th at 1:00 pm in the chapel located at 4715 Margaret Wallace Road, Matthews, NC 28105. The family will receive friends afterward until 3:00 pm. Carole will be interred at Sunset Memory Gardens, 8901 Lawyers Road, Charlotte, NC 28227 in a private service.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of Carole to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (www.LLS.org/donate), Healthwell Foundation (www.healthwellfoundation.org) or Claire's Army (www.clairesarmy.org).