Joseph Raymond Copp was born on November 11, 1941. He passed away peacefully at his home in Reedsport Oregon on February 18, 2022. He was 80 years old.
As a teenager Joe could always be found under the hood of a car, and hunting or fishing in the ocean. At 16 he was a deckhand on several sport fishing charters out of Long Beach, California.
Joe joined the Air Force in 1959 and earned a Sharp Shooter designation and award. Because of his sharp shooting ability in 1960 he was stationed in South Korea as part of the peacekeeping efforts. In 1962 he was on standby in Florida during the Cuban Missile Crisis. His final duty station was in England as a heavy duty equipment mechanic.
After leaving the Air Force in 1967, Joe returned to the family home in Ventura County, California. He gained employment at the Port Hueneme Naval Base where he repaired heavy duty construction equipment for the Vietnam War.
During his years at the navy base he served on the Equal Opportunity Board and the Navy Safety Commission. He received numerous awards for his ideas and implementation of safety procedures.
Joe was very proud of being part of the Red Cross emergency blood donation program. He was a member of the rarest blood types. He was called upon to donate day or night, always willing to answer the call to save another's life.
Joe continued to enjoy hunting, fishing and cars all his life. While in England he raced his own stock car. He went on many hunting trips with his father, brothers and friends. After his move to Arleta, California, he earns his captain's license and skipped the "Skippy" out of Eureka.
Joe is survived by his wife Cathrine, his daughters Christine and Sarah Copp, his grandson Kyle Dicke, brother Roy Copp and sister Anita Boeris. Joe was preceeded in death by his brother Laurence Copp.
Joe's wish was to have his ashes scattered at sea in the ocean he loved.
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