COPPER, Gilbert F. 1923-2010
COPPER, ROTH, HENRY
Posted By: County Coordinator
Date: 6/5/2011 at 15:52:57
#1: (Obituary)
Gilbert F. "Smiley" Copper, 86, of Fort Dodge, died Wednesday, June 2, 2010, at his home, surrounded by his loving family.
Services will be 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 5, at the Gunderson Funeral Chapel. Mass of the Christian Burial will follow at 10:30 a.m. at Sacred Heart Church. Interment will be in the Corpus Christi Cemetery with military honors provided by the V.F.W. Post No. 1856. The visitation is from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Friday at the Gunderson Funeral Home & Cremation Services. There will be a vigil service beginning at 7:00 p.m. at the Gunderson Funeral Home. Memorials may be directed to the discretion of the family.
Gilbert is survived by his wife Colleen, his children, Patricia Copper (Mike Caskey), Cedar Rapids; Barbara (John) Sevier, Marion; John Copper, Fort Dodge; Michael Copper, California; Cathy (Kenny) Beck, Burnside; Mary Copper, Iowa City; Kevin Copper, Burnside; Marjorie (Andy) Stimmel, Oxford; Christopher Copper, Virginia; and Gregory (Angie) Copper, Humboldt; 20 grandchildren, two great-grandchildren; and his brothers, Gerald Copper, Colwell; Joseph Copper, Ionia; and James Copper, Marion, who rejoined his brother Gilbert 14 hours later. He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother Robert.
Gilbert F. Copper, the son of Edwin and Catherine (Roth) Copper, was born September 7, 1923, at Orchard, Iowa and graduated from Colwell High School. Gilbert served in the U.S. Army during World War II as a Staff Sergeant and was a recipient of the Purple Heart, Bronze Star and Silver Star. Following his discharge, Gilbert received his B.A. degree from Loras College.
On September 3, 1949, Gilbert was united in marriage to Colleen Henry. Gilbert was a teacher in the Floyd and Vinton school districts. He worked for Farm Bureau before returning to teach for the St. Edmond Schools. He retired from teaching at Stratford where he was also active as a coach. During his retirement, Gilbert worked as a substitute teacher at Stratford, St. Edmond and Community Christian Schools.
Gilbert was a member of Sacred Heart Church. He was a former boxing instructor at Fort Dodge and Stratford and once served as a Boy Scout leader. He was active in Kiwanis and entertained children with making animal balloons while in his clown outfit. He also helped to select scholarship recipients for St. Edmond High School. He was a 4th Degree Knight in the Knights of Columbus, was active in the Republican Party and the Right to Life. Gilbert was a volunteer for RSVP He loved horses and enjoyed travels to Alaska and to Army Ranger Reunions. Gilbert was a member of the Honor Flight to Washington D.C. in May.
[ Messenger News -- June 4, 2010 ]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------#2: (Obituary)
Gilbert F. "Smiley" Copper
June 8, 2010
Gilbert F. "Smiley" Copper, 86, of Fort Dodge, died on Wednesday, June 2, 2010, at his home, surrounded by his loving family.
Funeral services were held at 10:00 a.m., on Saturday, June 5, at the Gunderson Funeral Chapel in Fort Dodge. A Mass of the Christian Burial followed at 10:30 a.m., at the Sacred Heart Church in Fort Dodge. Interment was in the Corpus Christi Cemetery, Fort Dodge, with military honors provided by the V.F.W. Post No. 1856. The visitation was from 5-7:00 p.m., on Friday, at the Gunderson Funeral Home & Cremation Services. There was a vigil service beginning at 7:00 p.m. at the Gunderson Funeral Home.
Gilbert is survived by many loving family members. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II and his career was teaching science and mathematics to students.
[Mitchell County Press, June 8, 2010]
Note: He is the son of Edwin and Catherine (Roth) Copper.
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#3: (Biographical)
Sgt. Gilbert Copper Is
Awarded Silver Star,
Purple HeartS. Sgt Gilbert Copper sent his mother, Mrs. Catherine Copper, northeast of Osage, the Silver Star and the Purple Herat, both of which were presented to him while he was a convalescent in a hospital in India. The decorations were for service with Merrill's Marauders in Burma. The Silver star for "gallantry in action beyond the call of duty" and the Purple Heart for wounds.
Sergeant Copper received his wounds in the fight for Myitkyina July 4, 1944. He was in the hospital for a month. Shortly after being released, his organization marched over the mountains into China. He injured a knee on that trip and was hospitalized again in India. While receiving treatment, he received the decorations for the Marauder campaign into Burma.The January issue of "Cosmopolitan" carried a good story of Merrill's campaign into Burma to break the Jap defense and to open the Burma road for war supplies into China. The story is told by one who participated in the campaign.
According to the story, Merrill started out with a force of 3000 American soldiers and a large part of the force was wiped out before it returned. The story states that, "the Americans fought the Japs through the trackless Burma jungle until nothing was left but their gallantry." The Burma road has been opened. The Marauders helped General Stilwell and his Chinese troops speed up the operation.
And now, back to Sergeant Copper, a Mitchell County boy, who also knows about the Burma campaign first hand but who failed to tell his mother much about it. That was left to Lt. C. Winther, whose parents are neighbors of Sergeant Copper's mother. The two boys had never bet, however , until Lieutenant Winther visited Sergeant Copper in the hospital in India. In a letter to his parents, Lieutenant Winter stated, "Gilbert went out by himself with a bazooka, on one occasion, to knock out Jap pillboxes. He finally returned muddy and tired after all hope had been given up for him.
Another time, he took out a platoon to try to start a break through the Jap lines, only to have everyone except himself wiped out and he was pinned to the ground by Jap fire, not daring to move until after dark. A presidential citation was later given Gilbert's entire unit."Letters to both mothers of the boys concerning their first meeting thousands of mile from home indicate strongly that each thought the other a regular fellow.
It is of interest here too, to reprint a letter from Mayo C. Onker, the nurse who cared for Sergeant Copper in the Indian hospital. She is from Illinois. Her husband was a pilot and shot down over Germany. He is now a prisoner over there. Her letter to Mrs. Catherine Copper follows:
Dear Mrs. Copper-
Today while I was on duty in the hospital, your son, Gilbert, was awarded The Silver Star. At 6:15 a.m. patients from other wards all over the hospital gathered in our hospital ward, were called to attention, Lt. Col. DeYoung accompanied by the Chief of the Surgical Service, the Chief and Asst. Chief of Medical Service, and representative officers from other departments, made the formal presentation of the medal you son earned this last June.
"For gallantry in action over and above the call of duty, your son knowingly subjected himself openly to enemy fire from a Japanese pillbox to the advantage of the men in his platoon." The medal is beautiful, but Sgt. Copper's deed is more beautiful than any reward. Some of the men had tears in their eyes - I cried. Many of us thought of you during that ceremony. Today especially have I been proud to be a part of the war our men are fighting.
It has been my gain and privilege to know your son. May God bless and care for him always.
Sincerely yours, Mayo C. Onken, 2n'd Lt. Army Nurse Corps.[Mitchell County Press, Thursday, March 1, 1945]
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#4:Two photos of Gilbert.
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