Anne Copeland

Anne Berman Copeland passed away at her home of 64 years on Thursday, December 19, 2024, surrounded by family. She was born in Chicago in 1939, first child of Harry and Lottie (Aren) Berman. She was a devoted sister to Elaine Flynn and Alex Berman; proud mother of four daughters—Deeana (Jeff) Klepper and Heather Copeland who survive her, and Shelley Copeland and Wendy (Jon Schwartz) Copeland, who preceded her in death. She found joy in her granddaughters, Rachel (Alexandra) Klepper and Liora Klepper.

Anne grew up on Congress Parkway in the Austin neighborhood on the west side of Chicago, attending Emmet Elementary School and Austin High School. She excelled in school and had hopes of attending the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Illinois, but deferred her dreams of a higher education. At 18, she married Donald Copeland and moved out of the city — first to Berwyn and then to Palatine, where she raised her children. Anne loved the neighborhood community and was a frequent volunteer in neighborhood activities, including serving for a time as a Girl Scout leader. She helped to organize birthday parties for neighborhood children and summer outings to Fish Lake or the nearby Forest Preserves.

Newly divorced in her early 30s, Anne began to fulfill a lifelong dream to go to college, receiving her BLS at age 42. She studied microbiology at Harper Community College and Northeastern Illinois University, and worked in labs at Northwest Community Hospital, the Metropolitan Sanitary District of Chicago, and Abbott Labs. She secured a patent, related to her new expertise, and found great satisfaction judging high school science fairs.

Anne was a creative soul. From childhood, she loved visual arts, even taking classes at the Art Institute of Chicago. She painted watercolor cards, drew detailed sketches, photographed wildflowers across the country, embroidered, sewed, knitted, strung together jewelry, and even mastered the art of soldering. She was always ready to take up a new artistic endeavor. In the kitchen, cooking was another form of art. She had a passion fordiscovering new flavors and techniques, taking great pride in her dishes. The smell of Anne’s pot roast could always get the family to the dinner table. She loved music, especially folk and country, learned guitar, and played for her children. She was incredibly generous with her time and especially loved to share knowledge and materials connected with her hobbies, including spinning and dyeing wool, knitting and crocheting, gardening, and training dogs in tracking and obedience.

Anne always loved taking in “strays”—dogs in need of a home, young people in need of mentoring, or a friend during difficult times. If you ask anyone who knew her, there is no doubt: her deepest affection was for her dogs. A devoted companion and caretaker to countless dogs over her lifetime, she loved teaching others how to care for and train their dogs. She pursued a multitude of dog-related activities, from raising puppies to clicker training, confirmation to agility competition, and even a magnificent run at sledding; she gave her dogs incredibly fulfilling lives, at the same time making friends with fellow dog enthusiasts. She brought joy and pride to children with readingdifficulties through a “read to the dog” program in the public elementary schools, and trained her canine companions as therapy dogs to bring comfort to people in end of life hospice care. Until her last days, she continued to give her entire heart to her faithful Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Harry.

Donations in her memory may be made to the Greater Chicago Cavalier Rescue or Planned Parenthood Action Fund.