Leonard L. Copeland, 81, a lifelong resident of Kingfisher, Oklahoma, died Friday, December 7, 2018, surrounded by his family.

Leonard grew up on the family farm, northeast of Kingfisher, Oklahoma. He graduated from Big Four High School in 1955, where he was a talented basketball and baseball player.

After high school, he went to Oklahoma A & M and graduated in 1959, with a Bachelor's of Science Degree in Agronomy. While in college, he joined the Naval Reserves and was honorably discharged in 1963.

In 1960, he married the love of his life and high school sweetheart Carolyn Perdue. This blissful marriage was blessed by their four boys.

In 1963, Leonard and Carolyn bought the farm next to where he grew up and there he remained for the rest of his life. Leonard was a lifelong farmer, raising chickens and selling the eggs. He also raised cattle, pigs, and sheep while growing wheat, corn, and canola.

He was very active in his community. He was a member and past president of the Lions Club, the Board of Directors for Farmers Cooperative Supply, a director at Producers Marketing Corporation, an executive board member for American Sheep Industry, and president of Oklahoma Sheep Association.

He coached Little League Baseball, where he passed on his love of sports to his sons.

Leonard was a devoted member of the First United Methodist Church of Kingfisher. He served as a Sunday School teacher, a Lay Speaker and was part of the Emmaus group. Later in life he joined the Gideons group.

He was also an accomplished musician, able to play anything with strings. He preferred the guitar, violin and steel guitar and in his early days he was in a country music band. Many nights, you could find Leonard and Carolyn playing music in their front room.

He loved hunting duck and geese with his sons, and with a group of friends he had made while delivering eggs in Oklahoma City.

He was a skilled mechanic and welder, a skill he learned in the Navy. He rebuilt many engines and also built and repaired many pieces of farm equipment. He also served as a substitute teacher at Kingfisher High School for the Auto-Mechanic class.

Leonard is survived by his wife Carolyn, and their four sons: Douglas, Gregory and wife Shari, Michael and wife Donna, Steven and wife Nichole; sisters: Evelyn Post and husband Albert, Margaret Hixon; sisters-in-law, Janet Copeland, Betty Perdue, Mary Keefe; grandchildren: Nicole Bush, Megan Copeland, Stevie Armstrong, Austin and Aaron Copeland; numerous nieces and nephews.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Charles and Mabel Copeland; his brothers: Glen Copeland and Eugene Copeland; in-laws: James and Anne Perdue; brothers-in-law: Don Hixon, Marion Perdue, Glen Perdue; and sister-in-law: Katherine Copeland.

Funeral service is 10:00-11:00 a.m. Friday, December 14, 2018, at the First United Methodist Church in Kingfisher, 102 S. Main Street, with the Reverend Patrick McPherson officiating. Interment will be in Kingfisher Cemetery, under the direction of Sanders Funeral Service.

In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that memorials be made to United Methodist Church Building Fund, Gideons International, Russell Murray Hospice, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, or the charity of your choice.

Condolences may be made to the family at www.SandersFuneralService.com.