Obituary of JR Horace Wilgus Copeland, Jr.

***DUE TO TODAY'S WEATHER, VISITATION FOR JR HAS BEEN DELAYED UNTIL THURSDAY (FEB. 6, 2020) from 4-8 p.m. FUNERAL SERVICE WILL BE HELD ON FRIDAY (FEB. 7, 2020) at 10:00 a.m.*** Funeral Services for Horace Wilgus “JR” Copeland, Jr. of Winfield, MO will be held at 10:00 a.m. Thursday, February 6, 2020 at Carter-Ricks Funeral Home near Winfield. J. Larry Carter of Carter-Ricks Funeral Homes will officiate. A brief committal service will be held at 1:30 p.m. Thursday at Countryside Memorial Gardens near Owensville, MO. Serving as pallbearers will be Josh Copeland, Bob Copeland, Colby Harrison, Jeff Copeland, Rich Hemmer Josh Balkenbush, Jimmy Shrank and Ricky Luetkenhaus. Mr. Copeland, 68, passed away Friday afternoon, January 31, 2020 at his home near Winfield. Born December 16, 1951 in St. Louis, MO, the second of nine children born to Horace Wilgus (H.W.) and Barbara Jean Rice Copeland, Sr. JR worked in law enforcement for 35 years. He served as a sheriff’s deputy for many years in Lincoln County, and served with St. Charles County Police for 20 years, retiring in 2018. Some of his duties included serving as a bomb technician, a motorcycle officer, a DARE Officer, and the K-9 unit with his dogs, Samson and Aran. He was a member of the police motorcycle officers’ organization, the Blue Knights. JR was preceded in death by his parents, H.W. and Barbara Copeland, Sr.; and three siblings: Michael Copeland, Kevin Copeland and Tammy Boyd. Survivors include one son, Jeff Copeland and his wife, Dee, of Lake St. Louis, MO; and one daughter, Natalie Copeland and her fiancé, Colby Harrison of Blue Springs, MO. JR also leaves his longtime girlfriend, Debra Garner of St. Charles, MO; two brothers: Bob Copeland and his wife, Joann, of Elsberry, MO, and Ed Copeland and his wife, Patty, of Cottleville, MO; three sisters: Diane Bishop of Fulton, MO, Donna Usery and her husband, Don, of St. James, MO, and Darlene Fields and her husband, Bob, of Falcon, MO; his beloved dog, Sarge; several nieces, nephews, other relatives and many friends. Visitation will be held from 4:00 – 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 5, 2020 at Carter-Ricks Funeral Home in Winfield. Memorials may be made to Heartland Hospice in care of Carter-Ricks Funeral Home, 3838 East Highway 47, P.O. Box 253, Winfield, MO 63389. Online condolences may be made at www.carterricksfuneralhome.com.