Longtime Grants Pass resident, Margaret Agnes Kopp, known affectionately to many as Marge, died peacefully in her sleep on February 8th, 2021 at the age of 84. Surrounded on the last leg of her journey by the the things she loved most, music, laughter and the loving light of her family, Margaret lived life to its fullest even during lockdown.
Rediscovering her passion for knitting, classical music and embroidery during quarantine, Margaret kept in touch with her close-knit family with frequent phone calls and leisurely chats with the nursing staff at The Bridge assisted living facility.
Born in London, Ontario, Canada on March 11th, 1936, Margaret was the eldest daughter of London Free Press columnist, William John Mohan and homemaker, Ethel Mary Mohan.
A die-hard “Londoner” from the get-go, Margaret was an outgoing, athletic child who enjoyed playing with her younger siblings in the school yard near their home and her years as a Girl Guide – the Canadian version of the Girl Scouts. Margaret also briefly taught athletics at London’s Teacher’s College and was even once crowned the Mardi Gras queen at a celebration in London’s storied French Quarter.
In 1959, Margaret left home and moved across the continent for a new life and career as a medical transcriptionist in sunny Long Beach, California. Rooming with fellow Canadian, Carol Riedel – who she had met four days before moving to the United States – the two lived in a bright, beachfront apartment with ocean views. Having never seen the ocean, a palm tree, or even a poinsettia before, Margaret described this period of her life as “magical.”
That period grew even more magical when Margaret met and later married Buster A. Kopp, of Shakopee, Minnesota, on February 8th, 1964. Margaret and Buster lived for a time on idyllic Gaviota Avenue near Margaret’s cousin, Gordon Dilts, and his wife, Linda, before relocating with their growing family to Grants Pass in 1973.
Raising her five children on the farm with Buster, Margaret enjoyed knitting, sewing, embroidering and baking, and although she was fond of her Canadian fruitcake recipe, Margaret will probably best be remembered for her homemade pecan pies and Swedish Spritz Cookies. Margaret also worked for many years as a medical transcriptionist and an administrative secretary at the Grant Pass Clinic. After her husband Buster’s passing in 1998, Margaret retired to spend more time crafting, baking and visiting with her five children and ever expanding brood of grandkids.
Margaret was preceded in death by her husband, Buster, parents, William and Ethel Mohan, her sisters Mary Angela Dassinger and Marcia Ann Mohan, and her beloved brother William Henry Mohan.
Margaret is survived by her three daughters, Elizabeth M. Mudd of Salem, Marcia A. Pratt of Grants Pass, and Christine S. Romero of Burbank, California; two sons, John C. Kopp of Fairbault, Minnesota and Michael A. Kopp, of Grants Pass; her brother, Michael Joseph “Joe” Mohan, of Long Beach, California; and seven grandchildren.
A funeral mass will be held for Margaret on Thursday, February 11th at noon at St. Anne’s Catholic Church in Grants Pass. Funeral arrangements are being made by Chapel of the Valley.
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