Richard Wayne Cope

Richard was born on February 8, 1948 to the late Wayne and Florence Cope of Delphi, IN. After graduating from Delphi Community High School, he went on to study electronics at Valparaiso Technical Institute in Valparaiso, IN and Pastoral Theology at Baptist Bible College in Springfield, MO. Richard proudly served in the U.S. Air Force in Biloxi, MS, where he taught Computer Maintenance.

In 1969, Richard married Linda Marie Johns at Calvary Baptist Church in Monticello, IN. Richard and Linda went on to have 4 children: Angela Marie Anderson (Jimmy) of Kokomo, Jennifer Rebecca Fugate (Bob) of Kouts, IN, Christina Susan Donley (Josh) of Kokomo, and Joshua Wayne Cope (Rachel) of Ridgeville, SC. They also have 9 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren.

Richard is preceded in death by his parents, Wayne and Florence Cope, and his brother, Jim Cope. He is survived by his sisters, Barb Lake and Sue Cope.

Richard lived and worked in Kokomo, IN for the past 35 years. He loved the Lord and was a faithful member of Temple Baptist Church, where he served the Lord for many years. He taught Electronics at Ivy Tech Community College for several years. Some other places he worked were the DuPont Photomasks plant, the Kokomo Housing Authority and several local high schools, where he was a substitute teacher.

Richard loved teaching and sharing his knowledge with others. His children remember how he had an answer for every question they ever asked. They thought he knew everything! They didn't discover until they were grown that sometimes those answers were made up! At least, he was convincing! He loved trains and adventure. He was often known for jumping in the car and "going for a drive". You never knew where you were going, but you knew you'd have fun getting there. He enjoyed taking his children and their friends hiking. He also loved to chase storms. If there was a tornado warning, he'd jump in the car and take off. He had a quick wit, and was quite possibly the inventor of the "dad joke". He was a loving husband, father, and friend and will be greatly missed.

There will be a public visitation on Tuesday, December 27, at 10am, immediately followed by a funeral service at 11am, at Temple Baptist Church, 1700 South Goyer Rd, Kokomo. Richard will be laid to rest at the Marion National Cemetery immediately following the funeral service.

Donations can be made in Richard's honor to the Temple Baptist Church. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.ellersmortuarywebster.com for the Cope family.