Jack Wesley Kopp

Jack W. Kopp was born in Elvins, Missouri, to Carrie (Russell) Kopp and Arthur C. Kopp. He grew up during the Depression in the Lead Belt area of Missouri; his father worked in the mines for the St. Joseph Lead Company. The family lived in an unpainted house with a woodburning oven, outdoor plumbing, and later, a single electric lightbulb. Jack grew up with two brothers, Bill (now deceased) and Don Kopp. Jack married Helen (Wilfong) Kopp on March 20, 1953.

Jack graduated from Missouri State Teachers College (now Missouri State University) with a degree in elementary education. He and Helen moved to Winter Haven, Florida, in 1956, where they both worked as teachers. Their son, Steve, was born in Winter Haven.

Jack moved his little family back to southeast Missouri in 1960. He was a teacher, administrator and junior high school basketball coach in Frankclay, Missouri. His teams regularly earned the “good sportsmanship” awards. He received his masters degree in 1962 from the Peabody College (now part of Vanderbilt University) and became an elementary school administrator. His son, Kevin, was born in Bonne Terre, Missouri, in 1961.

In 1968, Jack moved his family to Jefferson City, Missouri, where he was the principal at Southwest Elementary School from 1968 to 1971. He became principal at Moreau Heights Elementary School, where he remained until his (early) retirement in 1981.

Jack had a parallel career in the U.S. Army Reserves and National Guard. He was a certified Army infantry sharpshooter and retired as a major. He was very proud of his appointment by the President to be the Missouri Guard’s liaison officer to West Point Military Academy.

After his and Helen’s retirements from public education in 1984, they taught at schools in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia and Maracaibo, Venezuela. They returned to the States in 1988, where they lived in Ashland, Missouri. In 1998, Jack and Helen moved again to central Florida, residing as snowbirds in Leesburg until 2015. They moved to Arkansas and have lived in Hot Springs Village and Alma, Arkansas ever since.

Jack was also an expert fisherman, hunter, and tomato gardener. He was a natural athlete and subsequently a star basketball player and later a star untrained league tennis player. He supervised and constructed several houses, and he had a constant urge to move. Jack was a constant advocate for public education, evidenced in part by the academic achievements of every member of his immediate family. He was deeply respected by his teaching and military colleagues as a person of principle and integrity.

Jack was well-recognized for his insistent frugality and devotion to weekend garage sales. His priorities that led to his long and full life included healthy food, exercise, and independence. Even though it is a sport based on pure luck, Jack was embarrassingly successful as a bingo participant, to the frustration of everyone.

Jack is survived by his wife, Helen, of Hot Springs Village, his son Kevin Kopp and daughter-in-law Leesa Kopp of Hot Springs, AR, his son Steven Kopp of West Fork, AR. He is also survived by his brother Don Kopp, of Edwardsville, IL. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.GrossFuneralHome.com for the Kopp family.