Funeral Services for 91-year-old Dorothy Kopaska of Dexter will be held on Wednesday, October 18, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. at the First Presbyterian Church in Dexter, with burial in the Dexter Cemetery. A luncheon will follow the burial at the church. Pastor Robert Waldron will officiate the service. The Lamb Funeral Home in Greenfield is in charge of the professional arrangements. Online condolences may be left to the family at www.lambfuneralhomes.com.
The family will greet friends on Tuesday, October 18, 2023, at the First Presbyterian Church in Dexter from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Memorials to the Dorothy Kopaska Memorial Fund to be established by the family at a later date.
Dorothy Darlene Heckman Kopaska was born in a Cass County house a few miles west of Adair. Dorothy started school at Union #5 Country School. There, she had a wonderful teacher, Helen Cook Neal. She learned to read, which was her lifelong goal. At Dexter High School, she was excited to learn. She became Valedictorian of her graduating class because of her interest in all subjects. She attended CCCC College in Des Moines to become a secretary.
Life Changed when she met Earnie Kopaska, and they were married on June 17, 1951. Gerald, her father, wanted them to be farmers. So, they rented several farms around Casey until they found a nice farm south of Dexter, where they have raised their four children ever since. They are Carroll Wayne (CW), Colleen Elizabeth Kopaska Stiles, William Carl (Bill), and Karen Irene Kopaska Costanzo.
She enjoyed learning pattern dancing with Earnie while wintering in Arizona and again in the summer with their camping friends. Earnie and Dorothy built a house designed by Dorothy and by Mr. Warren Garwood of Dexter. Mr. Garwood’s woodworking skills are shown in the walnut cabinetry. The design has proved very functional over the years into her older age.
Her trips with Earnie to Seattle, Alaska, Europe, Brazil, and other states in South America were highlights. Dorothy was preceded in death by her parents, Gerald and Leona Heckman, her brother Errol Heckman, and her husband, Earnest Kopaska, who passed at 92.
She is survived by her children, grandchildren, step-grandchildren, great-grandchildren, step-great-grandchildren, and siblings. Vera Jeanette Shelley and Glenn Leroy Heckman.
Grandchildren: Kirk William Kopaska, Misty Marie Gilbert (James), Rod Alan Ross, Robin Lynn Durby (Mike), Alex William Kopaska, Amy Marie Hernandez (Scarlett).
Great grandchildren: Sarah, Zach, Rebecca, Bradley, Abigail, Hailey, Gage, Alexander, Sophia.
Please visit our flower store to order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Dorothy Kopaska, 91, of Dexter.
