Charles 'Charlie' Eugene Copple

Charles "Charlie" Eugene Copple passed away peacefully at the age of 85 on Saturday, Nov. 3, 2018, at the Hi-Line Retirement Center in Malta, Mont.

Please join Charlie's family for a celebration of his life at the Glasgow Elks on Friday, Nov. 16, starting at 11 a.m. Lunch will follow with fun times of reminiscing.

Charlie was born on March 10, 1933, in Malta. He was the second of five children born to Mary Genieve Copple (Simpson) and Charles Dewey Copple. Charlie started working at a young age. He often told stories of being only seven years old when he and his sister, Ileen, were in charge of 1,500 head of sheep on the Missouri breaks with only a 30/30 and a dog. Because of these extended stays, he missed so much school that he was forced to teach himself to read and write.

On July 12, 1953, he married Vivian M. Hoffman. They were married for 29 years before divorcing. They had seven children, Debra, Charles "Chuck," Tamra, Angela, Sherran, Sandra and Barbra.

He could do anything! He worked for Gulf Oil on the oil rigs, was a railroad gang-foreman, was certified in refrigeration, air conditioning and heating, TV repair, construction, and a painter. He was a parts specialist in the Army stationed at Ft. Bragg, N.C. Even though he had a terrible fear of heights, he joined the paratroopers for the extra income. He later went to Spokane, Wash., where he attended Barber College. After which, he barbered in Saco, Mont., Glasgow Air Force Base, and partnered with CJ Carney in the Carney/Copple Barber Shop located in Glasgow, Mont. He was very proud of the fact that at one time he owned and flew his own airplane.

After severely breaking his arm in a car accident, he and his son, Chuck, attended Western College of Auctioneering. They started World Wide Top Dollar Auction Service. Later, Charlie became well known for auctioning at benefit auctions in and around Glasgow where you would most likely hear him say, "Give until it hurts; cuz it's only money and that's what you'd want people to do if it was your family."

Charlie was a member of the American Legion Post #41 of Glasgow. He was a hunter, fisherman, and trapper. He spent many hunting trips with his sons-in-law, grandsons and friends. For a few years during the winter months, he worked for Pacific Hide and Fur where he was skinning over 100 animals some nights. He was widely known around Northeast Montana for dealing cards, playing poker, being a collector of everything and dancing the two-step.

Charlie could seem tough and gruff, but he had a heart of gold. He was always willing to help others any way that he could. He could make a joke about anything (most often inappropriate) and loved to make people smile or laugh. He was known for his "one-liners" and had a nickname for everyone.

In his later years, he commented often, "Don't matter how much a person's got; If you don't have your health, you don't have anything." or "Good health is more important than all the money in the world."

No doubt, he's again happy, making others laugh, and two-stepping across Heaven, to the tune of his favorite song, "Guitars & Cadillacs." He will be greatly missed.

He was preceded in death by his parents; one son, Charles L. Copple; two sisters, Mary Ileen Pekovitch and Margaret Anderson; one brother, David Copple; and one grandson, Justin Nelson.

He is survived by six daughters and their families: Debbie (Walter) Nelson, of Opheim, Mont., Tamra (Eric) Sonsteng, of Helena, Mont., Angie (Kevin) Wersal, of Glasgow, Sherran (Tim) Thompson, of Windsor, Maine, Sandra Copple, of Glasgow, and Barbie (Kris) Dahl, of Las Vegas, Nev.; one brother, William (Betty) Copple, of Saco; 12 grandchildren, Jayson (Chrissa) Nelson, Joseph Nelson, Julie (Colton) McLaughlin, Nathan (Kathryn) Sonsteng, Luke (Michayla) Sonsteng, Shawn Wersal, Brittne (Jory) Casterline, Darrin Wersal, Gianna Dahl, Charlize Dahl, Ashlynn Dahl and Titus Dahl; many great-grandchildren; and many more relatives.

As Charlie would say, "Take 'er Cool."