Ionia County MI Archives Obituaries.....Kopchick, Joseph, Dr. June 3, 2012 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/mi/mifiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Nan Wheaton wheaton1624@yahoo.com April 28, 2015, 6:55 am Ionia Sentinel-Standard - Tues. July 31, 2012 Born in 1920 in Granville, N.Y., Joseph Kopchick was orphaned at age 9 and raised, along with his older brother, by his maternal grandparents. By the time he was 20 he had earned admittance to the University of Michigan after spending two years at Green Mountain Junior College in Vermont. In 1941, Joe voluntarily entered the V-12 program that enlisted college-educated men into the Navy and Marines, and helped pay for his education at U. of M. where he completed degrees in Chemistry and Medicine, graduating Phi Beta Kappa. During this historic period of turmoil, Joe's silver lining came in the form of fellow student Elizabeth "Betty" Harrison to whom he was married for 62 years. From Ann Arbor, Joe and Betty moved first to Louisiana, then Massachusetts where Dr. Joe served New Orleans Naval Hospital, Boston Naval, and the VA in North Hampton, Massachusetts was also where the couple's first children were born; a set of twin boys, Joe Jr. and John. Within a year they made a trip to Betty's hometown of Muir in order to introduce the infants to their grandmother and think about where they may want to settle down. Not surprisingly, word spread quickly that there was a doctor in town and, within days, folks in need of medical attention were sitting on Betty and Joe's porch every morning. Never one to turn a person away, two small dinettes pushed together and covered with a plastic became the examining table in the kitchen and the rest became history. In July 1948, his small office on Superior Street was established and it was from there that he served thousands of patients over the course of his 51 years as the only doctor in Muir. It is estimated that he delivered no less than 3,000 babies and, right up until he retired in 1999, he still made an occasional house call. In addition to building a flourishing family practice, he and Betty also welcomed three more children into their family; a daughter, Anne, then another set of twins, Mary and Margaret. Along with his wife and children, Dr. Kopchick enjoyed travelling, skiing, golfing, gardening and sailing. However, it is no secret that his friends and patients also provided some of his greatest joys in life. Dr. Kopchick passed away on June 3, 2012 in Savannah, Ga., where he had been living in a retirement community since 2007. He is survived by his five children and their spouses; Joe, Jr. and Kathy (Jepson), Dr. John and Connie (Faulkner), Anne and Jim Murray, Mary Kistler, and Drs. Margaret and Russell Burken; 12 grandchildren; Mary (Jeremy) Plenzler, Charlie Kopchick, Jonathan (Katie) Kopchick, Nathaniel (Becky) Kopchick, Michael (Krista) Kopchick, Christopher and Andrew Murray, Katie (Cal) Chancy, Joseph (Jenn) Kistler, Patrick Kistler, Sam and Daniel Burken; great- granddaughter Alexandra Plenzler; and his half-sister Anne Corda. He was preceded in death by his grandson, Alexander Kopchick; brother, Peter; and his wife, Betty. Visitation for Dr. Kopchick will be 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 3 at Lake Funeral Home on Superior Street in Muir. The funeral will tale place on Saturday, Aug. 4 at Lyons Muir Community Church on Olmstead Road at 10 a.m. Lunch at the church will follow the ceremony. Dr. Kopchick will be buried in Oakwood Cemetery immediately after. In lieu of flowers, a donation may be made to: Muir Food Pantry, P.O. Box 43, Muir, MI 48860 or Lyons Muir Community Church, 1074 Olmstead Road, Muir, MI 48860. Online condolences may be made at www.lakefuneralhomes.com. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/mi/ionia/obits/k/kopchick30517nob.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/mifiles/ File size: 4.1 Kb