Loretta M Copus

Loretta May (Turk) Copus, PhD September 10, 1924 - February 2, 2012 Loretta was born September 10, 1924, to Otto David Turk and Bertha Steines Turk in Crow Hollow, Crawford County, Wisconsin near Barnum. When Loretta was four, her mother died of a kidney infection. Her father later married Ruth Eunice Turk and together they gave her two brothers 11 months apart, Robert David and Otis Leroy. As a child and young adult, Loretta was known in Bell Center and the surrounding small towns for tap dancing on roller skates and playing the guitar, singing and yodeling while her father accompanied her on his violin. This activity at community events was a huge embarrassment to her brother Bob. At 13, she fell in love with Earl Copus, the mechanic who worked for her father at his filling station and used car lot. She prayed to God to make Earl love her more than any other girl. Earl courted her for three years, often laying on her parents living room rug coloring in her coloring books - rather a sweet thing for a 21 year old young man about town. On August 24, 1940, the two were wed in Waukon, Iowa, in a double wedding with his younger brother, Atley, and Imogene Heisz. Earl was 23 and Loretta would be 16 two weeks later. The marriage lasted 62 years until Earl's death April 19, 2002. Earl and Loretta had three daughters, Nancy Elaine, Karen Ruth, and Mary Jo. Each of them had one child, Cherie Angelique, Shann Jolaine and Mitcheal Troy. Loretta is survived by "her boys" Bob Turk of Gays Mills, Wisconsin and Odie Turk of Baytown,Texas. Also surviving are her daughters, Nancy Williams of Taft, Karen Copus of Lamont, Mary Dawson of Tehachapi and Loretta's much beloved and adored son (in-law) Vergil Dawson. She is also survived by 3 grandchildren: Cherie Largent of Bakersfield, Mitcheal (Audrey) Dawson of Tehachapi, and Shann Parker of Lamont; 13 great grandchildren: Kenneth, Jaymie, Randi, Danieal, Amanda, Cecily, Kellie, Leo, Lukas, Marshall, Larissa, Derek and Jacob; and 9 great-great grandchildren: Avery, Seth, David, Devin, Dasson, Dallas, Alyssia, Eden and Emily (who awaited her in heaven). Loretta was baptized July 1, 1948 and received the Holy Ghost on April 23, 1949. Loretta accomplished a great deal in her life, she earned a PHD in theology, traveled in the US, evangelized, taught both adult and children classes, counseled many troubled people, delivered babies and, best of all for us, she was a wonderful mother. Our parents never ran out of things to talk to each other about. We don't understand it, but that was the way it was. We were loved unconditionally, but we knew the primary relationship in our family was the one between our parents. We were blessed beyond measure. Loretta left this life on February 2, 2012. Services will be held Thursday, February 9, 2012, at Calvary Tabernacle on the corner of Panama Lane and Betty. Visitation begins at 10:00 a.m. with the service to begin at 11:00. Burial will be private.