Obituary: J. Paul Copeland

J. Paul Copeland, 79, of Alpharetta, died May 17, 2013 at St. Joseph Hospital in Atlanta, according to his obituary on Northside Chapel Funeral Directors and Crematory.

Born in Arab, AL to Paul Haden and Jimmie Bodine Copeland, Copeland was an educator for 30 years with the DeKalb County School System. He received his graduate degree from Auburn University, his master’s degree from Vanderbilt University and his specialist degree from the University of Georgia.

He served as a teacher, principal, and retired as assistant superintendent of human resources. He later founded Copeland and Associates Insurance. Copeland served in the U.S. Army and was a member of the Roswell United Methodist Church.

Along with his parents he was preceded in death by his sister, Faye Markham.

He is survived by his wife, Claire Hunt Copeland; daughter and son-in-law, Margaret and Greg Elliott; son and daughter-in-law, Paul D. and Julie Copeland; grandchildren, Madeline Elliott, Paul Elliott, Marston Copeland and Haden Copeland. He is also survived by three sisters, Jane Walley and her husband, Bill, Mary Jo Cochran and Ruth Young; Brother, Dr. Robert Copeland and his wife, Jenny, nieces and nephews.

Funeral services will be held on Monday, May 20. He'll lie in state at 2 p.m. and Rev. Jimmy Johnson will officiate a service at 3 p.m. in the chapel of Roswell United Methodist Church. The family will receive friends in the church parlor from 2 p.m. until the hour of the service. Interment will be on Tuesday, May 21 at 12 noon (CDT) at Hillcrest Cemetery in Boaz, AL.