Ernest Charles "Ern" Copp

Ernest Charles “Ern” Copp passed away in Duncan, British Columbia, on August 8, 2026, with Claire his beloved wife of 61 years by his side. He was 96.

Ern was born in Comox, British Columbia, in 1930 to Fred and Alice Copp. The youngest of four children, he grew up with his brothers, Fred and Bert, and his sister, Rosina. With Ern’s passing, the last surviving member of his generation of the Copp family is gone.

Ern was a proud veteran of the Canadian Forces. He served with Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI) and saw combat during the Korean War. He was one of more than 26,000 Canadians who served in Korea between 1950 and 1953. At the time of his death, he was believed to be one of only 1,909 surviving Canadian veterans of that war.

Korea profoundly affected the course of Ern’s life. He never forgot the men with whom he served or the bonds formed through their shared experience. Throughout his life, he treasured the camaraderie of his fellow veterans and remained active in the Royal Canadian Legion, the Korea Veterans Association of Canada, and the PPCLI Association. His service and his friendships with other veterans remained sources of great pride.

After the war, Ern headed north and established himself in the gold-mining industry of the Yukon and northern British Columbia. He became well known and respected within the industry. It was in the Yukon that his life took its most important turn: he met Claire.

Ern and Claire married in 1965, beginning a partnership that would last 61 years. Their marriage became a remarkable, shared adventure. Through six decades, they were almost always at one another’s side, meeting the challenges and opportunities of life together.

Health problems arising from his wartime service and years in the mining industry forced Ern to retire while still in his early fifties. Predictions that his health would lead to an early death proved very wrong. Ern and Claire would spend almost as many years together in retirement as they had before it.

And theirs was certainly not a quiet retirement.

They began with a 16-year adventure living aboard their sailboats, first Ketza and later Fury IV. Life afloat became another chapter in the long series of experiences they shared. Eventually they came ashore, and for the final 25 years of Ern’s life, he and Claire made their home in Duncan.

Ern was also a Mason and a Shriner, organizations and fellowships that formed another important part of his community life.

At the centre of everything, however, was Claire.

Claire was proud to be Ern’s wife, and she loved him deeply. Her devotion to him was constant, particularly as health became more challenging. Her extraordinary care undoubtedly contributed to both the length and quality of Ern’s life. After 61 years of marriage, she remained where she had been for so much of their journey together—at his side when he died.

Only recently, friends and family had gathered to celebrate Ern’s 96th birthday. Even at 96, he remained engaged with the people around him, active, and still finding enjoyment in life.

Ern was predeceased by his brothers, Fred and Bert, and his sister, Rosina. He is survived by his devoted wife, Claire; his son, Victor; His step-daughters Sherry Shields and Noel Shields, his grandchildren, Michelle and Jeffrey, and their families; and many nieces and nephews and their extended families, whom he loved very much.

His was a long-life encompassing war and peace, the mining camps of the North, more than six decades of marriage, years spent living aboard sailboats, service to his fellow veterans and community, and a large extended family that remained important to him throughout his life.

A Celebration of Ern’s Life will be held at a later date.

Ern had one final wish that beautifully reflected the life he and Claire shared. When the time comes, he wished for their ashes to be combined and set sail together upon a banana leaf—side by side once more, setting out on one last adventure.

Ern leaves behind not simply the record of 96 years, but the memories of a life fully lived, and of an extraordinary partnership with Claire that endured for more than six decades.