Patricia Copps

Patricia Joy Copps, 79 of La Crosse, passed away on Monday, September 17, 2012 at the Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center. She was born in Chicago, Ill. on April 14, 1933 to Gordon and Adelaide (Kiemle) Skilliter. It was here where she and her parents lived through her elementary years.

An only child, she excelled academically, skipping two grades at Chicago's prestigious University School, and learned to golf and play tennis under the tutelage of her doting father. Her childhood summers were spent in Genoa, Ohio, surrounded by a loving extended family. Her teen years were spent in Muskegon, Michigan. As a college freshman, at age 16, Pat attended Smith College - a time and place that formed lasting impressions. As a member of Kappa Alpha Theta, she would form affiliations maintained throughout her lifetime. Her education was interrupted when her father suffered a crippling stroke in 1950, and she returned to Michigan. A year later, Pat moved to Toledo, Ohio, where she met and married Art Atkinson and gave birth to three children. In 1960, the family moved to La Crosse where Pat found a lifetime home. She later married Stephen Copps and their son, Stephen, Jr. kept Pat young and vital throughout her middle-age.

Pat lived with passion for her children, and her devotion, determination, and love knit a collection of seven siblings, half siblings, and step siblings into a genuine family that remains bonded to this day. She often said that the hard work she put into this difficult task was the great joy of her life. As her children, we are grateful for this labor of love and the way it has molded us into what we are today.

Throughout her adult life, Pat was committed to improving the quality of education in the community . She took an active role in her children's and grandchildren's education through volunteer efforts in classrooms, and rarely missed an extra-curricular activity or sporting event. Pat was also passionate about her tight knit group of friends. Over her years in La Crosse she formed many profound and lasting bonds which we, as her family, hope to continue. Pat was also a very skilled bridge player, and one of her true joys was duplicate bridge with her friends- she seldom lost, at least to hear her tell it.

In her mid-forties, Pat was finally able to return to the classroom, and keep the promise she had made to her father when he became ill. Over the course of several years, while juggling her busy community life and raising Steve, Jr., she finished an undergraduate degree in History. Once all her children were grown and gone, Pat formalized her commitment to reading education with a Masters Degree from UW-La Crosse and dedicated her professional efforts to improving the quality of education in the community. Pat worked with the Read Clinic, as a private tutor, and with the Gundersen Lutheran Medical Foundation as a tireless champion for literacy. She gave of herself liberally - always with patience, persistence, and no small amount of love guiding countless young people who struggled with reading to become readers. Pat's lasting positive impact on the educational futures of children and families throughout the Coulee Region is her true legacy.

Personally and professionally, Pat energized those around her. She volunteered generously and fought tirelessly for the good of her family, students, and friends. Her intelligence, impassioned independence, and radiant smile will be sorely missed by all who knew and loved her. With profound gratitude for her care and with tremendous respect her lifetime of service and achievement, her children and theirs hope to carry forth with the grace, joy, and class that she exhibited throughout her life.

She is survived by her children: Cynthia Fleishman, (and her children Ian and Mischa); Timothy (Colette) Atkinson, (children Paul, Emily, Jeffrey, Hanna); Erin (Jay) Krebsbach, Stephen (Melissa) Copps, (children Elizabeth, Katherine) Stepchildren: Christopher (Saxon) Copps, (children Alden, Radley); Gregory (Laura) Copps (children Owen, Kiley). She was preceded in death by her parents, and stepdaughter Katherine.

A memorial gathering will be held at the Schumacher-Kish Funeral Home of La Crosse on Saturday, September 22, 2012 from 1:00 P.M. until 3:00 P.M. with a time of rememberance to follow. Private family burial was in the Mormon Coulee Memorial Park, La Crosse. In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to the Gundersen Lutheran Medical Foundation Reading Initiative Fund at 1836 South Ave., La Crosse, WI. 54601. Online guestbook is available at

www.schumacher-kish.com.