Rick was born on July 6, 1945, in Odessa, Texas to Warren R. Copeland and Nell Copeland. He grew up in Corpus Christi where he attended local schools and worked a variety of jobs, displaying the industriousness that would mark his character for the remainder of his life. Rick met Faith and her family in October 1960 at the church he attended and where Faith’s mother became his Sunday School teacher. After graduating from high school in 1963, Rick joined the U.S. Army and served in a unit of the Army Security Agency. After completing extensive training, he was stationed in West Berlin for two years and volunteered to spend his final year in the Army, serving in Vietnam. Rick was honorably discharged in 1967 and returned to Corpus Christi where he worked in his brother’s Dive and Surf Shop for a year. In 1968, Rick entered college, and in the fall of 1969, he married Faith, the love of his life
He graduated from Texas A & I University with a B.A. in accounting in 1972, and then accepted a position with the accounting firm of Gowland, Kincaid, Guy, Fancher, and Davis. After earning his CPA certification, Rick joined the FBI in November of 1975 and served as a Special Agent for 28 years. In 1991, Rick was transferred to the Austin FBI field office as a supervisory agent and retired in 2003 as Resident Agent in Charge. Rick then joined the staff of the Texas Attorney General’s Office, where he served for 12 years, as the Manager of the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. After leaving the Attorney General’s office, Rick became an enthusiastic volunteer for various charity organizations and enjoyed some of the most rewarding and fulfilling work of his life. For as long as he was physically able, he tirelessly served with the Austin Disaster Relief Network and The Samaritan’s Purse in their efforts to restore the homes and lives that were devastated by flooding in the Central Texas area.
During an active life, Rick enjoyed a variety of outdoor activities. These included playing with nieces and nephews, scuba-diving with his brother, snow skiing, bike riding, running, hiking, and traveling. When traveling, he invariably arranged visits to any nearby historically significant places and was especially fond of exploring old battlegrounds and war memorials. As a gifted story teller, he frequently recounted these adventures to the great delight of his family and friends.
Rick was preceded in death by his parents and is survived by his wife Faith, his brother Jim Copeland (Saundra) of Corpus Christi, 8 nieces and nephews, 19 grand nieces and nephews, 16 great-grand nieces and nephews, many cousins, and his goddaughter, Amanda Leggett.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Austin Disaster Relief Network or The Samaritan's Purse.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18