and Theresa Wylie. Minnie was baptized and confirmed at St. John’s Nepomucene
Catholic Church in Pisek.
Minnie’s mother passed away when Minnie was two years old. Minnie and her 5
siblings were raised by relatives. Her siblings are all deceased: Theresa, Frank, Ida,
Ted and Marian. Minnie was raised by her father with the help of two aunts, Mary
Vasicek and Anna Betlach (her mother’s sisters) and her grandparents. She attended
the Willow Grove Country School through the 8th grade. They lived near woods where
they were surrounded by birds, butterflies, wild flowers, wild fruit trees, squirrels and
beautiful trees.
Minnie attended High School at Pisek, North Dakota for her freshman and sophomore
years. After her father remarried in 1935, she attended high school at Edinburg, ND for
1/2 year and then moved to Bismarck, ND to live with her older sister, Theresa. When
Minnie arrived in Bismarck via train she thought she would have to work and not be
able to finish high school. Her sister, Theresa, promptly informed Minnie she was to
attend high school and in 1937 she graduated from Bismarck, North Dakota High
School.
She attended Valley city State Teacher’s College in North Dakota and graduated with a
Standard Degree in Teaching. Minnie taught at country schools in North Dakota for
three years and in Minnesota for 1 year. She taught first grade in Blooming Prairie,
Minnesota one year.
During World War II, Minnie and her sister Theresa were encouraged by their sister Ida
to come to Portland, Oregon in 1943. She worked as an office assistant in the welding
rod department at Kaiser Company Shipyard in Vancouver, Washington. Later, she
worked as a cashier and bookkeeper at Good Samaritan Hospital, Portland, Oregon.
Soon, her sister, Marian, joined the three sisters in Portland. Her brother, Frank, stayed
in North Dakota raising his family. Brother, Ted moved to Texas to raise his family.
Mrs. Copp was an Elementary teacher nearly all her adult life; teaching school for 42
years. In 1945, she returned to teaching at Rockwood School, Multnomah County,
Oregon teaching 2nd grade for eleven years. During this time, Minnie went to night
school and summer school at the University of Oregon. In 1956, she received her
Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from the University of Oregon,
Eugene.
Minnie was married to Robert Copp who passed away many years ago. She had one
child, John Copp. He attended All Saints grade school and Central Catholic High
School. He joined the Navy directly out of High School. He passed away a few years
ago.
From 1956 to 1976, she taught grades 1 and 2 at Kens School in Portland, Oregon. In
1976, Kerns school was closed and she was assigned to Laurelhurst School; she
taught there for 6 years before retiring in 1982.
Minnie belonged to Business Girls Sorority, Epsilon Sigma Alpha, Portland Teachers
Association and Grade School Teachers Association.
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