Wendell Kopp

Wendell “Joe” Kopp, 103, of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, passed away Tuesday, April 16, 2019, at his home with his daughters by his side.

He was born in Glidden, the son of Ella Mae and Samuel Kopp. During his early childhood years of the horse and buggy days, he lived on farms in southwest Iowa. Being raised with no utilities and with the advent of the Model T Ford , he witnessed many changes during his life. The most fascinating one being the internet, which he loved. His schooling began in a one-room country school which he attended through the fifth grade. One year, the school board upgraded the classroom with a new pencil sharpener and a globe the following year.

After graduating from Indianola High School, he attended and graduated from Iowa State University in 1938 with a degree in dairy industry and again in 1943, as Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. Prior to his death, he was the oldest living member of ISU School of Veterinary Medicine Alumni.

In 1943, he married the love of his life, Geneva F. Coulson. This union of 69 years he classified as “perfect.” Within months of his marriage, he was drafted into the U.S. Army during WWII, serving stateside as captain in the Veterinary Medical Corp. After his discharge from the Army, he started a small animal practice in Indianapolis, Indiana, living there three years.

Returning to Iowa, he began his general veterinary practice in Lenox, having a mixed practice of large and small animals for 24 years. While living in Lenox, he served on the Lenox Board of Education for nine years, and was one of the original board of directors members at Southwest Community College in Creston for six years.

In 1973, he moved to Oak Ridge, Tennessee, joining the staff of University of Tennessee with the Comparative Animal Research Lab (CARL) for the next 10 years. Upon retirement from CARL, he opened his private business, “The Stripping Workshop,” where he refinished and repaired furniture for many years.

In his spare time, he volunteered more than 1,800 hours during a 10-year period for Contact Teleministry along with volunteering at Habitat for Humanity. He was a member of First United Methodist Church in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, holding various positions within the church. Woodworking was his lifetime avocation, along with studying greater than 50 years the effects of sunshine on plant and animal life.

Always encouraging education, Joe donated his body to science to Lincoln Memorial University School of Medicine.

He is survived by his daughters, Janis Kopp of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and Joyce Rehagen (Harry) of Knoxville, Tennessee; grandchildren, Meredith Davis (Brandon) and Michael Rehagen; great-grandchildren, Aaron and Austin Rehagen, all of Knoxville, Tennessee; and many nieces and nephews.

The family will receive friends 10 a.m. Friday, April 26, at First United Methodist Church in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, with celebration of life following at 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to First United Methodist Church, Oak Ridge, Tennessee – UMCOR.

His favorite saying that he would like to pass on is ... “Be as good as your dog thinks you are!” (Author unknown)