Kimberlea Ann Copelin of Springfield, Missouri went home to be with her Lord and Savior on February 17, 2022.   Kimberlea was born September 6, 1974, to Kelly and Janice Martin.  She married the love of her life, John Hugh Copelin, at Second Baptist Church on November 17, 2000.   The Lord blessed Kimberlea and John with one daughter, Lauren Mackenzie Copelin.

She is survived by her husband, John, daughter, Lauren of the home, her parents, sister and brother-in-law, Christy and Sam Arthur, one sister-in-law, Nokomis Myers, 2 nieces, Madison and Brooklyn Arthur, two nephews, Troy Myers and Hudson Arthur, uncles and aunts – Gloria Mingus, Larry and Janice Wolters, Jim and Pam Morgan, Nancy Ray, Sandra Gourley, Linda McFall, and several cousins and extended family members.

Kimberlea accepted the Lord as her Savior as a teenager and was a member of Second Baptist Church, Springfield, Missouri, where she served faithfully for over 30 years.   She graduated from Kickapoo High School in 1993, Drury University in 1999 with a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and received her master’s degree in Education at Southwest Baptist University in 2003. Kimberlea was an educator a total of 22 years with her first six years at Fordland Elementary and then sixteen years for Springfield Public Schools.  All but one year of her tenure with SPS was at McBride Elementary where she taught first, second and third grades.  She loved being a wife and mother and was passionate about her faith, family, and teaching career.    She considered being a teacher a special calling on her life and poured her heart and soul into her students.

She had a servant’s heart and was always ready to set her own agenda aside to help someone else.  She enjoyed scrapbooking family memories, camping, boating, and sitting by a campfire gazing at the stars.  She was always in awe of the beauty of God’s creation.   At age 4, Kimberlea was diagnosed with leukemia and was a “St. Jude kid”.  God restored her health at that time and gave her 43 more years to complete His plan and purpose for her life on this earth.   She had a love for St. Jude and participated in several St. Jude adult life studies.

A memorial of Kimberlea’s life will be held at Greenlawn North Funeral Home on Saturday, February 26, 2022, with family visitation to be held from 1 pm to 2 pm and the memorial service to follow at 2 pm.   Burial will be held at Greenlawn Cemetery immediately following the service.

The family would like to thank the staff at McBride Elementary, her Second Baptist family, many close friends and special thanks to Dianna with Integrity Hospice as well as countless health care workers who provided compassionate care to Kimberlea after being diagnosed with a brain tumor in August 2021.  They are forever grateful to everyone who has been extremely kind, generous, and supportive during this difficult journey. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to St. Jude Children’s Hospital either on their website or by mail to:  ALSAC/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN  38105.