Robert "Bob" Copeland

Robert “Bob” Copeland, 98, took his final flight on October 6, 2026. Born on March 22, 1928, in Lamar, Colorado, Bob carried the quiet strength of his roots throughout a long and meaningful life, marked by unwavering devotion to family and a lifelong love of aviation. A resident of Chandler, Arizona, for 73 years, Bob touched many lives and will be fondly remembered by all who knew him.

Bob’s passion for aviation began in childhood on his grandparents’ rustic ranch in New Mexico, where he would watch airplanes fly overhead and dream of one day taking to the skies himself. He spent his boyhood in Raton, New Mexico, before his family moved to Boise, Idaho, during his high school years. In his early teens, he began working to earn money for flying lessons, setting the course for a life devoted to aviation. After marrying Jeanne in 1947, they eventually made their home in Chandler in 1953.

Aviation was Bob’s calling. He worked as a crop duster and founded San Tan Dusters, one of only two businesses operating at the then dusty Chandler Municipal Airport in the 1950s. Crop dusting demanded precision, courage, and an unwavering respect for both aircraft and agriculture—qualities Bob embodied throughout his career. For him, flying was far more than a profession; it was a lifelong passion and a source of purpose. That passion never waned. In retirement, he remained active in the aviation community and returned to a childhood hobby, crafting scale-model airplanes with the same care, patience, and attention to detail that had served him so well in the cockpit.

Bob’s contributions to aviation extended well beyond his own flying. He competed in national aerobatic championships and served as president of the National Agricultural Aviation Association at both the state and national levels, bringing practical experience and dedicated leadership to the field. He was also a proud member of QB (Quiet Birdmen) and AOPA, maintaining lasting connections with fellow aviators who shared his love of flight and the camaraderie that came with it.

At the heart of Bob’s life was an extraordinary love story. He and Jeanne shared 79 years and seven months of marriage—a remarkable partnership built on loyalty, shared memories, and a steadfast love. Through all seasons of life, they remained one another’s constant, showing their family that true love is not simply a promise made, but a promise lived, day after day, for a lifetime. May the memories of their life together bring comfort to everyone who loved them.

Bob is survived by his beloved wife, Jeanne Copeland; his son, Don Copeland; his daughter, Jeanette White; his grandchildren; Chris Copeland, Rob Copeland, Melissa Phillips, Micah White, and Bryan White; and his great-grandchildren; Colten Copeland, Chloe Copeland, Eric Copeland, Dylan Phillips, Maya Phillips, Jayvon Phillips, Grady White, Madeline White, and Sofia White. He was the cherished son of Floyd and Lowell Copeland.

Bob’s 98 years were filled with love for his family and a deep appreciation for the beautiful blue skies above. His laughter, his big, strong hands, and the warmth of his presence are already sorely missed. Though he has taken his final flight, his legacy lives on in the family he cherished, the lives he touched, and the skies he loved so dearly.

High Flight

By John Gillespie Magee

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth

And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;

Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth

Of sun-split clouds – and done a hundred things

You have not dreamed of – wheeled and soared and swung

High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there,

I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung

My eager craft through footless halls of air…..

Up, up the long, delirious burning blue

I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace

Where never lark, or even eagle flew—

And, while with silent, lifting mind I’ve trod

The high untrespassed sanctity of space,

Put out my hand, and touched the face of God