Connie May Copeland

Connie May Rush Copeland, 88, of Arlington, Va., and originally of East Gary, Ind., went to be with the Lord on Monday, April 24, 2023.

Connie played the clarinet in the Edison High School marching band. She worked as a radiology technician for many years. She also worked at the Episcopal Cathedral School in Santurce, Puerto Rico. The places she lived included Indiana, Florida, Cuba, New York, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and Arlington, Va. She was a member of Calvary United Methodist Church in Arlington, Va., and enjoyed gardening, cooking, and reading.

Her parents were Lloyd Dale and Newana Maxine Rush; and her beloved husband of 58 years was Herbert Earl Copeland, Jr.

She had 2 children, Lynn (Bryan) and Carol (Roger); 5 grandchildren, Christopher (Carley), Amy, Hannah, James, and Ross; 3 great-grandchildren, Brooklynn, Chloe, and Cassidy; and a very special family friend, Irma De Romero.

The family is incredibly grateful for the fine staff of the Lewis-Gale Medical Center’s surgical ICU department.

A period of visitation will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, April 27, 2023, at the John M. Oakey & Son Funeral Home in Salem, Va. A funeral service will be conducted at 11 a.m. on Friday, April 28, 2023, in the funeral home’s chapel. She will be laid to rest beside her husband at Quantico National Cemetery at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, please consider giving to an education fund to be set up for her great-grandchildren in the near future. Online condolences may be expressed at www.johnmoakey.com.