Larry D. Coppinger

1936 - 2007

Larry Duane Coppinger of Longview was peacefully ushered into God's presence Oct. 15, 2007, after a strong and valiant fight with cancer.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Beecher and Sarah (Stapleton) Coppinger.

Left behind are his beloved wife and caregiver, Carol Ann; a daughter, Carol (Vince) Clubb of Granite Bay, Calif., and their children, Donnie, Justin and Aaron; a son, David (Jennifer) of Kennewick and their children, John and Melissa; a stepdaughter, Terri Morgan of Sonoma, Calif., and her children, Elias, Sarah and Liana; a stepson, Scott (Pati) Way of Beavercreek, Ohio, and their children, Anton and Aria; two sisters, Judy (Bob) Owen of Salem and Kathleen Coppinger of Kennewick; two aunts and an uncle, Mildred and Dausie in Texas and Robert in Oklahoma; three nephews, Keith (Brenda) of Salem, Kevin of Vancouver and Kirk of Keizer, Ore.; two great-nieces, Hailey and Marissa of Salem; and numerous cousins.

Larry was born on a farm in Hunt County, Texas. At the age of 2, his family moved to Kansas City, Mo., where they lived until late 1943 when his father went to Richland to work at Hanford. Larry, his mother and baby sister lived in Texas until arrangements were made in early 1944 for them to also move to Richland. Two years later, another sister joined the family. Larry attended Richland schools and was active in his church. Larry was a lifelong Baptist and attended the Longview Bible Baptist Church in recent years.

He married his first wife, Carolyn Deanna, in 1955 and later enlisted in the Army Signal Corps, serving most of his time as an instructor at the Redstone Arsenal Base in Huntsville, Ala., where his daughter was born. Upon discharge, he returned to Richland where his son was born.

Larry attended Columbia Basin College at night and working at Battelle, and then working at General Electric for a total of 32 years as an instrument technician.

Larry and Carol Ann were married on Valentine's Day in 1981, and they retired to Packwood, Wash., in 1993, where he enjoyed woodworking and carpentry. His prized fun toys were his farm tractor and front-loading backhoe, which was useful in plowing the winter snows. A beach house at Ocean Park was also a great joy. For health reasons, he and Carol Ann settled in Longview to be near medical facilities.

Larry loved to tell stories of the many adventures, friends and memorable experiences he had throughout his life. He was at peace with God, his Heavenly Father, and will be greatly missed by his family and friends. Larry's grandsons and nephews are honorary pall bearers. His last few weeks were eased by the loving care he received from Community Home Health and Hospice nurses in his own home.

Memorials may be made to the Hospice Care Center in Longview or the Hospice in Tri Cities, Wash.

Arrangements are by Columbia Funeral Service of Longview and Einan's Funeral Home of Richland.

Please sign the guest book at www.tdn.com/obits.