In loving memory of Cortland Kopp: 1940-2021

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Cortland (Cort) Kopp passed away Dec. 29, 2021 in Yuma, Arizona with his family by his side. Cort was born to Homer and Catherine Kopp Jan. 24, 1940 in Clinton, Iowa. Cort is survived by his childhood sweetheart, Margie Krava, whom he fell in love with at the age of 12. They were blessed with 60 years of marriage and three loving children, Dan (Kelli), Dawn Salisbury (Shawn), and Doug (Kelly), along with a sister-in-law that was like a daughter, Ping Moore (Rick). Cort is also survived by seven grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, three brothers, four sisters and many other loving family members.

Cort served in the U.S. Air Force and in 1961 moved to Washington state and resided in Hockinson, Washington for most of his life. Yuma, Arizona is where he longed to be every fall, spending the last 15 winters with his Magnolia Village family whom he dearly loved.

Cort was an entrepreneur at heart and began saying as a teenager that his life’s goal was to retire by the age of 40. To the amazement of all but his family, he achieved that goal at the age of 36. Retirement couldn’t keep Cort still and he continued to spend his life succeeding at one venture after another. Even at the age of 81, tinkering with his latest project, people would ask the secret to his success and his reply would always be “there is no such word as can’t and you can never stop moving.”

Along the moving path of drive-thru dairies, gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants, golf carts, ammo boxes, apartment rentals, partnerships with dear friend Dale (Jan) Moore and his ever perplexing ice machine business, Cort found a way of loving, helping, mentoring, counseling and enhancing the lives of so many along the way.

He was truly a great man that touched the lives of so many, who will be dearly missed by all that knew him, and envied by those who didn’t get a chance to meet him.

In lieu of cards or flowers, the family would like to encourage everyone to get their COVID-19 vaccinations.