Dorothy Coplin

Dorothy Coplin, age 82, of Gary, Minnesota, died Sunday, March 4th, 2007, in her home, under the care of Hospice of the Red River. Dorothy Lucille Eichler Coplin was born August 16, 1924, the daughter of Otto and Mathilda (Larson) Eichler. She was a born adventuress and as a child, Dorothy was described as high-spirited and enthusiastic. She attended Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, for a year. In 1945, Dorothy was united in marriage to Frank Michael Coplin, a bush pilot in Alaska, and had a baby girl, Gail, while living in Alaska. She and her daughter later returned to her parents’ farm near Gary because the Coplins did not want Gail to contract tuberculosis, which was rampant in Alaska at the time. Dorothy continued her education, earning a Master’s Degree in Marketing at UND in Grand Forks, North Dakota. She and Frank lived a peripatetic life, moving within states and between states. In Nome, Alaska, they owned a gold mine, a trucking company and a bar. They owned a dairy farm in Barnesville, Minnesota, a candy store in Reno, Nevada, built a motel in San Bernardino, California, and owned an equipment rental store in San Bernardino, California. She taught business at Pacific High School in San Bernardino until wanderlust hit again. Dorothy then became a commercial real estate broker in Beverly Hills, California. She never really retired; to her dying day she was interested in business and the arts. She lived and loved life to the fullest, always ready for a new adventure. Dorothy loved plays, musicals, art, jewelry and beautiful things. In her younger years, she also acted in community theatre. After Frank’s death in 1996, Dorothy lived with or near her daughter and best friend, Gail, and Gail’s family. During this time she traveled to France, Britain and Hong Kong on her own, visiting palaces and museums. Dorothy felt her greatest success, pride and joy was her grandson, Jordan Coplin. She was a great role model and friend to him. She called him “my star in the sky”. Toward the end, Dorothy reviewed her life – she believed that she had an interesting and fulfilled life, meeting people of many cultures and belief systems. She marveled that she was “just a little farm girl” and that life had given her so much. She counted and appreciated her blessings. While her family grieves her passing, they feel blessed by her long presence in their lives. Dorothy is survived by a daughter, Gail Coplin (Jay Goldstein) of Gary, MN and a grandson, Jordan Coplin, also of Gary, and deep friends of the heart, the Portillo family of Los Angeles, California, Harriet Woodside of Las Vegas, Nevada and the Bennefeld families of Gary. She is preceded in death by her parents, husband and sister, Marguerite Servine. Funeral Services will be held on Thursday, March 8th at 11:00 AM in Gary Lutheran Church, Gary, Minnesota. Visitation will be one hour before services at the church on Thursday. Officiating will be Pastor Jeff McCracken with Alden Anderson serving as organist. Pallbearers will be Jordan Coplin, Roger Bennefeld, Taylor Bennefeld, Tyler Bennefeld, Scott Hagy, Mark Hagy and Hector Portillo.

Dorothy Coplin

August 16, 1924 - March 4, 2007