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Robert Coplan

Robert Leon Coplan, age 91, of Hudson, WI, formerly of Phillips, WI, passed away the morning of Friday, January 8, 2021 at his home in the Wintergreen Apartments in Hudson, WI. Robert was born one of six children to parents James & Hazel Coplan on August 22, 1929. Robert grew up in the Oglivie, MN area before joining the Army in 1947. Robert was a proud member of the 82nd Airborne & completed over 18 jumps in his time with the division. After coming home from active duty, Robert went on to start his own electrical company called Coplan Electric in the Phillips, WI area. He maintained & managed the company until 1986, when he went on to work for Universal Foods in the decade before his retirement.

Robert would also start a family of his own upon his return from the service. He met & married his first wife Valerie Forf in October of 1951. Robert & Valerie had a blissful 47 years of marriage, & shared the joy of raising four children together, Daniel, Dee, Brad, & Brenda. After Valerie’s passing in 1998, Robert would find love again with Marlys Pederson. Robert & Marlys exchanged vows on New Years Day in 2002, & have created many happy memories together in the 19 years since.

Robert was an avid outdoorsman. He went deer, pheasant, & turkey hunting every season he could, & took countless trips to both Colorado for elk season & Canada for moose season. It wasn’t rare to find Robert out camping & fishing regardless of the weather. The cold couldn’t keep him inside, as he often took his snowmobile out on the trails after a fresh snowfall. When Robert’s plans kept him close to home, he enjoyed sneaking in a round or two of golf on any of the local courses, competing in a friendly round of horse shoes, or a match or two of badminton. Robert was an active member of the Lion’s Club, & could be found at almost every club event & fundraiser. Robert’s entrepreneurial spirit, passion for the outdoors, & care for the community have made him the kind of man who will continue to be admired & respected by all who knew him best. He will be dearly missed.

Robert will remain in the hearts of his beloved wife, Marlys of Hudson, WI; his children, Daniel Coplan of Blaine, MN, Dee (Les) Heuer of Chaska, MN, Brad Coplan of Baldwin, WI, & Brenda (Dave) Trostle of Elk Mound, WI; grandchildren, Rory (Janalle) Coplan, Ben (Amanda) Coplan, & Chris Coplan; seven great-grandchildren; step-sons, Tom Pederson, Nick (Sue) Pederson, Kevin (Deb) Pederson, Scott Pederson, & Joel (Carol) Pederson; as well as numerous Pederson grandchildren & great-grandchildren; brother, Terry (Sandy) Coplan; sisters, Patsy (Merle) Iverson, & Linda (Bobby) Winsor; as well as many nieces, nephews, cousins, extended family, friends, & neighbors. He is preceded in death by his cherished first wife, Valerie; parents, James & Hazel; brother, Jim Coplan; & sister, June Hoppe.

A Memorial Celebration of Robert’s Life was live-streamed at 1:00 P.M, Thursday, January 14, 2021. Interment will take place at the Baldwin Cemetery alongside his first wife, Valerie with militatary honors on June 18th. For more information, please call 715-684-3434 or email baldwin@oconnellfuneralhomes.com. Memorials are preferred to Second Harvest Heartland, 7101 Winnetka Ave. N, Brooklyn Park, MN 55428, https://www.2harvest.org/.