Monday, April 25th, 2016
Mary Ann (Hawk) Coppage
Mary Ann (Hawk) Coppage passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by her loving family on April 19, 2016 at The McAuley in West Hartford, Connecticut.
Mary, the daughter of Carl and Catherine Hawk, was born on September 27, 1928 in Celina, Ohio.
She grew up on the family dairy farms in both Celina and Rockford with her brothers Robert and Richard Hawk (both deceased) and her beloved younger sister Martha (Hawk) Hecht, with whom she spoke daily throughout her life. She was fortunate to have and enjoy a large extended family of aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins with whom she remained close.
During her time on the farm, she grew to love cows and dogs. Throughout her life she had at least four dogs named Keno and two named Ginger, one of which was a champion Tibetan Terrier.
Mary graduated from Rockford High School, third in her class and attended Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. At Miami of Ohio she met her husband Robert Coppage, a city slicker and future lawyer from Cleveland. They married in a small church near the family farm and were together over 55 years until his death in 2005.
The family moved to West Hartford in 1957 where she became active in many civic and charitable activities including The West Hartford Garden Club, The Town and County Club, The Women of Saint James, and the Commission on Aging for the Town of West Hartford.
Mary served as a conservator for elderly women and was a strong advocate for their rights and protection. She was also a member of the Saint James Caregiver and Support Group where she was always willing to give advice with a touch of wit.
Mary loved her friends, playing golf every week with her women's golf league at Westwood Golf Club in Farmington and playing dime poker and pool with her neighbors. She was also known for providing technical support at The McAuley, helping others with their electronics.
The most important people in her life were her family. As the matriarch, she attended family parties, children's sporting events, concerts and graduations.
In addition to her sister, Martha (Robert) Hecht, Mary is survived by her children Timothy (Gail) Coppage, Jeffrey (Janet Lawler) Coppage, Steven (Nina Hinchee) Coppage, Elizabeth Ann (David) Brause and daughter-in-law Cynthia Coppage; her grandchildren Nicole (Richard) Bouvier, Philip (Mary) Coppage, Brittany Bermingham, Andrew Coppage, Cami Coppage, Joshua Brause, Andrew O'Keefe; and her great-grandchildren Jackson, Mitchell, and Perry Bouvier and Grace Bermingham.
A Memorial Service will be held on Sunday May 1st at 2 pm at St. James's Episcopal Church, 1018 Farmington Avenue, West Hartford.
For her love of gardening throughout Mary's life, donations can be made to Elizabeth Park Conservancy, 1561 Asylum Avenue West Hartford, CT 06117 and with special thanks to Cynthia Coppage, for her friendship and care giving to Mary, donations can be made to Connecticut Children's Medical Center Foundation, 282 Washington Street, Hartford, CT 06106, Attn: Connecticut Children's Medical Center's NICU at UConn Health's John Dempsey Hospital.
