Judith Marie Copeland
September 1, 1944 ~ June 29, 2005
Judith Marie Copeland, born September 1, 1944 in Oklahoma City, OK passed away Wednesday, June 29, 2005 in the home she shared with her sister, Jean Rollo and brother-in-law, Edward, after a long battle with cancer.
Judy, as she was so lovingly called, was a devoted mother, grandmother, great grandmother, sister and aunt. She was very family oriented. Judy loved to cook and opened her dinner table to everyone. Even after she was diagnosed with cancer her attitude remained positive and she never gave up.
Judy was preceded in death by her daughter, Sheilah Diane Peppin and her mother, Margaret Virginia Allen Bynum.
She leaves to cherish her memory her father and stepmother, Jack and Imogene Bynum; two children, Arthur “Buddy” Copeland, Jr. and daughter-in-law, Tammy and Michael Ray Copeland and daughter-in-law, Georgia; six grandchildren, Tyler, Jacob, Miranda, Devon, Garrett and Bianca; four great grandchildren, Jordan, Kenzi, Brennan and Balyn; three brothers, Jack Bynum and sister-in-law, Pat, Johnny Bynum and sister-in-law, Dianna and Joe Bynum; two sisters, Ginger Bowerman and Jean Rollo and brother-in-law, Edward; Fayla Cheatham and husband Tony; step-brother, Mike Blasdell and wife Tina; and numerous nieces and nephews who loved their aunt dearly.
A Memorial Service will be held Friday, July 8th at 3:00 P.M. at the Salem Methodist Church, 929 Texas, Graham, Texas.
A second Memorial Service will be held Saturday, July 16th at 10:00 A.M. at the Stevens Funeral Home Chapel, 1106 N. Main, Lovington, New Mexico.
Judith Copeland’s family wishes to express their sincere appreciation to Dr. Frank Miller and his staff at the University Hospital, the physicians and staff at Cancer Therapy Research Center (CTRC), and the staff at Odyssey Hospice for the great care provided to Judith.
To leave a note for the family, go to www.meadowlawn.net and Select Obituaries. Arrangements by MeadowLawn Crematory and American Mortuary.
View current weather.
Memories Timeline
Guestbook
Sign the Guestbook, Light a Candle
Thanks Judy for always having your door open to me and a place at the dinner table…you were more than an aunt- you were my mom also.. I love you always, Damn Tam
You are the best mom any son could ever ask for you are missed so very much and boy did we have a hoot the three weeks that I got the pleasure of being your personal CNA. I bet you are still laughing about the three piece suit that I modeled for you on several occasions. There has not been a night go by that I have not thought about all the special memories I have with you. I LOVE YOU VERY MUCH AND MISS YOU DEARLY……………….Your loving son. Buddy
grandma I love you and I miss you very very much
Mom Judy What a treasure it is have you as my mother-in-law. I want you to know that from the first time we meet I felt like family. I want to THANK YOU for having a son (BUDDY) that came in to my life to LOVE me. As I look up to the stars I will always LOVE the times we had together. I love you and will miss you very much. TAMMY COPELAND
Dear Judy, I love you and I will miss you. But I know today you are whole and complete in the loving arms of our Abba(Father), dancing with joy at being with Sheilah and your mother. I am honored and blessed to have loved you and been loved by you. I wish I would have gotten your monkey recipe, but it wouldn’t have mattered it wouldn’t have tasted as good. I pray my mansion is close to yours. Love, Shelly
To the family of Judy Copeland. . . I want to express my deepest sympathy to you. Judy was a dear friend that I so enjoyed being around her peppy personality, positive attitude, and loving all that crossed her path. She no longer suffers and is up there looking down upon us as she helps to prepare that glorious place. While her presence will be truly missed on this earth, we will remember her, the sweet, kind, and genuine spirit. You all are in my thoughts and prayers. Love Danny Brown
She had Great strength and much Love! She touched a lot of lives…sometimes without knowing it. She will be missed, but will forever be in our hearts and memories.
Aunt Judy—My family and I will always appreciate your hospitality. We were always made to feel welcome in your home. I hope to be as good of a cook as you were—Brian still talks about those “chili beans”, that he, Jacob and Tyler so loved. God bless you and your family. Love Always, Marissa & Family
Our prayers are with you, as you already know. Please let us know what we can help you with at anytime
Our thoughts and prayers are with you now and always. God Bless
You know that I am thinking of you continuously and you are in my thoughts and prayers. please just let me know if there is anything I can do at all to help right now. God Bless.
Judy you were the best “grandma” anyone could ask for!! Even though you weren’t my real one I loved you and you loved me as I was your own! Let’s not forget you had the best cooking ever! Your hash could stand up to the best of ’em!! I am glad to know that now you will be watching over me, and will be waiting for me when I reach the pearly white gates!! You are greatly loved and will be surely missed!!
As I read each of the words that have been sent to Judy, I am even more thankful she is a part of my life.. I will never think of Judy in past tense because she would never think of us that way. Quinton and I named a star for her tonight, when you look to the east she is the brightest star. Quinton wanted that one because it’s the first star we see at night when we walk into our backyard.. There will be a baseball game dedicated to Judy in Hobbs. She loved the game. We tried to get her to love Basketball, but we all know —you don’t change her mind..Thanks again everyone, I love all of you, Tammy..I am going to have a Bar-B-Q in my backyard in her honor. Call me if you can make it..505-393-3601 or 505-390-3141. hoope to hear from ya, Tammy
so sorry for your loss my prayers go out to you all my god be close to you all remember revelation 21:3-4 god remembers all love sylvia
We have so many memories from our childhood with our Aunt Judy, Der Weiner Schitzel, Ole’ Jacks, Sat. mornings at Memaws, the list is endless. We have always admired her for the courageous, strong, genuine person she was. We will cherish our week-end spent with her at daddys forever. And talk of her often with tears and laughter. We hope she knew how many lives she touched, just by being the honest, caring person that she was. We will miss her but, she knew we loved her!!!! She does’nt need her angel pin to watch over her now she will watch over us from heaven…. We love you the Bynum girls!!!!!!!
Dear Judy, Last night while we were watching fireworks at Paula’s I seen your star. It was the brightess one out last night. I will miss you very much. Love Amanda
Dear Judy, I remember the time you came to graham and you woke Amanda,Stevie and I by spraying us with the spray water bottle and you just laughed well i am going to miss you very very much LOVE Darcie Allen
I am going to miss you so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Love you, Jacque
I am so sorry for your loss. Judy was a special & loving person. My prayers & thoughts are with you all! Love, Carla
Dear Judy You are a special person and will be missed alot. Red and I are proud to have you as a friend and being part of your family for 30 years. We had some real fun times at Pat and Jackies and also at your house. We also had alot of laughs and special times. You are our guardian angel now and will need alot of watching over. We are proud to have been a part of your life. We love you alot. Your Family Friends Red and Marilyn Walker and everyone in else in our household!
Judy you were not only our sister you were our best friend, we shared many good times and helped each other through tough times,raised our kids and grandkids together.We love you and will miss you , but will think of you often. Love You Pat and Jackie Bynum
Aunt Judy, I’ll never forget the chocolate milk you made me with real cocoa it was the best. The strawberry wine coolers for me and Bianca along with the grumpy care bear that my mom still has, I Love You and will miss you. I’ll see you again in heaven. Love Jessie Ray
I am sorry for your loss. Judy was a very outstanding lady to me. I will always remain grateful for all the good things she did for me over the years. She will be greatly missed.
God really blessed me the day I got to meet Judy. She is such a beautiful lady . She put joy and love in all our hearts. We cherished our time we got to spend with her when she came to visit us. I only wish I would have got to know her alot longer. God Bless You Christina
We miss you Aunt Judy and we will always love you. We see your bright star every night Love Amanda & Stevie
To the most giving caring and kind hearted ladys in the whole world. Although i havent lived in Lovington in 20 years every time Rona and I passed though, it was like being home again. Judys door was always open even at 3:oo am on our surprise trip from Guam. Betwenn the bar b ques, cowboys, Redskin games, and the chili beans cabbage and carrot salad, it was always a good time.give Rona, Momma, and Shelah a big hug for me we’ll meet again someday somewhere.i love and miss you very much you littlest brother Joe
Judy, You are the bravest person we have ever known. We will miss you so much, but you will forever be in our hearts. P.S. Tell Mama & Sheilah, we said “Hi”. We Love You, Johnny & Dianna
To Judy’s family and friends. I had the opportunity to spend the last ten months of Judy’s life with her and it was the greatest gift I could have ever received. Throughout the endless pain and suffering she endured she never once asked “why me?” or complain that she did not deserve the horrible treatment or disfigurment that she was left with from cancer or the surgery. How many of us can say that? For those she left behind, we were all truly blessed for having Judy in our lives for the short time she was on this earth. Love to you always, Jean Ann
To Judy’s Family, I remember so many good times with Judy. I have some really good pictures, too. I will try to sort them out and if you want any of them just email me and I will send them to you. It has been a long time since I have seen her, and I didnt know she was sick, but I cant imagine that she changed much over the years. Judy was always, Just Judy. She never changed and I am glad to be able to have called her my friend, along with the rest of the family as well.My prayers are with you. Always, Wynell
I remember so much about Judy and how she would line us out with the old wire fly swatter if we got too rowdy but there were some really funny times had at her home at 822 West Tyler also. The one that stands out the most was when Sheilah and I decided to make pinto beans in Judy’s pressure cooker and did not know what we were doing. Well, all I need to say is that I would lay money on the fact that there is probably still a bean or two to be found in the kitchen somewhere to this day. When the loud boom sounded, Judy hit the floor and filled the doorway with her tiny frame and one look from her spoke volumes. We knew we had better get the mess cleaned up fast. I am laughing now as I think about it. Judy also let me spend a few nights with her when I needed a place to rest my weary body along with the other rag tag wanderers that ended up in the home she raised her kids in. I remember that she told me one time that she might not have a pot to throw water out of but she at least had a home in her own name and it was paid for which a lot of us can’t say that. She was most proud of that and she shared it freely. God bless you Judy. You were and will always be loved. We never told you that enough. We just assumed that you knew it but after talking to Mom, I know now that one can never be reassured too many times. I am sorry for not being there more for you. Love you more than you ever knew. Debbie Lynn
To the loved ones Judy left behind. Will any of us ever know what a courageous woman she was? My frequent visits to Mom’s during Judy’s illness gave me the opportunity to spend some pretty special time with her. From helping Mom with Judy’s personal needs to tagging along on trips to the Doctor or to radiation. We had a ball, laughing, joking and fantacizing of someday playing banjos.I never once heard Judy complain. Oh except for the time I didn’t bring Austin. He had come with me several times and had become quite fond of his great aunt. He insisted each visit we stop at HEB the minute we hit San Antonio so we could buy Judy flowers. He said they made her smile. I think seeing him made her smile. I hated leaving to go back home. It got even harder towards the end. I cried once when I left thinking that would be the last time I saw her alive. I had the pleasure of making one more trip to visit before she died. This time was a bittersweet time for me. I was there when she took her last breath. I was truly blessed, as any one who knew her was. I think about Judy all the time. I will miss her dearly.
I was just reading all the wonderful letters that all of my moms friends and realatives have wrote since June 29,2005 and I wanted to personally thank each and every one of you who have been a part of my mothers life. I go on this site every day to read all the letters thanks for the comfort Buddy Copeland
I’ve been reading on this web site since it was put on and I’m amazed of all the people Judy knew and how many people loved her. You wouldn’t think one person could affect so many lives in one life time, but, Judy has and looks like will continue on even after she is gone. But she is now with Meamaw, Shiela, Uncle Jim, my Pawpaw and many others. When Judy came to Graham the last time my sisters and my self bought her a crucifix necklace so she could wear it around her neck. When she left us Jean gave it back. Will I gave it to my daddy which most know is Judys big brother. I have never seen my dad wear any kind of jewerly in my 42 yrs. but mom put it around his neck and it hasn’t came off to me that just goes to show you how much he loved his little sister. He has a part of her around his neck everyday. I never got to experince some of the things most of you have but,Buddy and Mike, I loved your mother with all my heart and will always miss her and will see her everytime I look at daddy and the necklace. Judy we all miss you very much and love you still…… Paula
Mom I was just sitting here thinking of you to day. Needed to write to tell you how much I love and miss you. Tomorrow is Valentines day of corse you knew that, but I wanted to wish you the very best valentine. Keep up the good work of watching over us you are the very best. Miss and love you forever. Buddy 02-13-06