Obituary of Gregory Ray Copeland

Funeral services for Gregory Ray Copeland, age 65 of Columbia, will be held at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, August 17 at First Baptist Church, Columbia, LA with Tommy Basco and Eric Harriman officiating.  Interment will follow at Hickory Springs Cemetery, 1032 Hickory Springs Rd in Jackson Parish under the direction of Riser Funeral Home.  Visitation will be Friday, August 16 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the church.

Greg was born in Homer, Louisiana July 24, 1954 to Ray and Faye Heard Copeland and he passed to his heavenly home August 10, 2019. He was a member of First Baptist Church in Columbia.  He was devoted to the preservation of Hickory Springs Historical Church and Cemetery where he worked tirelessly on the upkeep.

He graduated from Caldwell Parish High School and played on the baseball team winning the State Championship in 1972. He attended LA Tech University before beginning his career with AT&T from which he retired after 37 years of service having worked all over the state of Louisiana. He twice won the “You’ve Got What It Takes” award having been nominated by his customers. He was previously a member of the Caldwell Bass Club for many years. He served as the President of the May Hunting club for 10 years.

Greg was a loving son, brother, husband, dad, papa, uncle and friend.  He put his heart into his favorite hobbies, hunting and fishing as the seasons changed. His most loved hobby was helping his children, using his many skills to ensure things were done the right way. He worked tirelessly preparing hunting sites to make sure his grandchildren enjoyed their time at Papa’s.

He was preceded in death by his father Ray Copeland, father-in-law and mother-in-law Woodrow and Ruth May, paternal grandparents Jack and Bertie Lee Copeland and maternal grandparents Lynn and Lois Heard.

Left to cherish memories are his wife of 45 years Joyce May Copeland; mother Faye Heard Copeland; son and daughter-in-law Jeremy and Jacy Copeland of Ooltewah, TN; daughter and son-in-law Kristy and Jude Autin of Baton Rouge, LA; grandchildren Anna Copeland, Jaden Copeland and Jake Copeland; brother and sister-in-law Ricky and Cindy Copeland, brother-in-law and sister-in-law Ronnie and Judy McIlwain, brother-in-law and sister-in-law David and Linda Williams, special friends Keith and Brenda Myers, Donnie and Marion Johnson, Stan and Darla Mixon, numerous nieces, nephews, and extended family and friends too numerous to count.

Pallbearers will be Monty Adams, Jr., Gary Dickerson, Brian Duff, Russell Flint, Kenneth Heard, Steve May, Dan Richard and Pat Smith.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Hickory Springs Church and Cemetery, a place he dearly loved and devoted his life to preserving. Contributions should be mailed to 403 Hearn Isalnd Dr., Columbia, LA 71418.