Robert Lynn Copeland

Robert “Bob” Lynn Copeland, of Leander, Texas, passed away as a result of a stroke at St. David’s Hospital in Austin on May 10, 2024. His passing was peaceful as he was surrounded by his wife and children.

Robert was born to Rusty and Glendene Copeland on July 16, 1949, at Hillcrest Hospital in Waco, Texas. After a short period in Galveston, the family moved back to Waco and took up residence in a modest home on Primrose Drive. Robert was raised attending Emmanuel Baptist Church. He spent his school years at Alta Vista Elementary, University Jr. High, and University High School.

Robert was a typical fun-loving boy of the ‘50s, seeking adventures on his bicycle, running barefooted, shooting his Red Rider BB gun, playing hide and seek and cowboys and Indians with neighbor kids. His teenage years revolved around flipping burgers at the world-famous Health Camp on the Circle to pay for modifications to his muscle cars, then racing them down Valley Mills Drive while listening to rock and roll music.

Upon graduating from high school in 1967, Robert followed suit with most of the young men of that era and joined the United States Air Force, completing his basic training at Lackland Airforce Base in San Antonio. Soon after, he was sent to Danang Air Base in Viet Nam, assigned as an aircraft loader and mechanic. After serving three tours of duty in Nam and the Philippines, Robert was honorably discharged, at the rank of Sergeant E-4, from Kingsley Field in Klamath Falls, Oregon.

Robert was an uncomplicated, common man, steeped in the “blue collar” work ethic, spending his entire career in construction, manufacturing trades and trailer sales, retiring from Magnum Trailers of Georgetown in 2023. He was a master craftsman and connoisseur of tools. The lines on his face and calluses on his hands were a testament to how hard Robert worked. In his younger days, if he wasn’t on his weekday job, he’d be picking up side jobs on weekends and taking care of projects for other people.

In whatever off-time he allowed himself, Robert loved being with Lesa, his children and grandchildren as their happiness is what mattered most. He was straight forward in his opinions, laughed loudly at his own jokes, and loved telling stories of his exploits, over, and over, and over. He enjoyed woodworking, fishing, and piddling in his shop. Robert was the ultimate handyman. There was never a project he wouldn’t take on himself. At the end of a long day, it wouldn’t be uncommon to see him sitting in his recliner or on his back porch drinking sweet tea (out of the same glass) while listening to Merle Haggard, Alan Jackson, or Don Williams. Robert was enamored with the mystique of the Old West and had a passion for reading, especially western authors like Louis L’amour and Zane Grey. But of course, when it came to sports, he never missed the Indy 500 and always watched his Texas Longhorns.

Robert was preceded in death by his father, Robert “Rusty” Eugene Copeland, and his mother, Lillian Glendene (Martin) Copeland. He is survived by his wife of 36 years, Lesa (Hedrick) Copeland; daughter, Layna; daughter and son-in-law, Michelle and Brandon Pleasants, and their children, Jude and Zoe; son Robert “Bobby” and his significant other, Stacy Wappler and her children, Bensen, Drew and Nadine. He is also survived by his sister and brother-in-law, Charlotte and Dan Adams, his nephew, Hunter Adams, his niece, Keri (Adams) Taft, and her husband Jon, and their children, Bentley and Swayzie; and by his sister-in-law, Laurie (Hedrick) Burns and her husband Louis and his brother-in-law, Raul Barrera and his daughter Fabiola. He is also survived by numerous cousins, friends, colleagues, and customers who were all privileged to know him and will miss him greatly.

Memorial services will be held Tuesday, May 21, 2024, at 11:00 am at Weed-Corley-Fish Funeral Home, 1200 S Bagdad Road, Leander, Texas 78641. Interment will follow at 2:00 pm at Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery, 11463 TX-195, Killeen, Texas 76542.