Joe Kenneth Coppinger

Joe Kenneth Coppinger went home to be with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, January 15, 2022 in Longview, Texas.
Joe was born on April 18, 1936, in Cottonwood, Texas. He was preceded in death by his parents, E.K. and Alice Coppinger, and his sister, Dorothy Petty.
Joe is survived by his wife, Delma Coppinger, his son, Stan Coppinger and wife Sharon, two nieces and extended family and friends.
Joe grew up in Cottonwood and Cross Plains, Texas. He attended both Cottonwood and Cross Plains schools, graduating from Cross Plains High School in 1954. Joe served proudly in the U.S. Navy. After his time in the Navy, he attended Biola University where he graduated in 1962. He then received his Master of Divinity degree from Talbot Theological Seminary. Over the years, he pastored churches in Southern California and Arizona, before moving back to Texas where he was a beloved English teacher at Cross Plains High School.
Joe met his wife Delma in the fifth grade, and they instantly became childhood sweethearts. They married in 1955 and were excited to be celebrating 67 years of marriage this coming May.
Joe was a three-time cancer survivor. His faith in God sustained him during these trials, as well the love of his wife who faithfully walked alongside him.
Joe loved reading and teaching and studying his Bible. He never met a stranger, and he had such a heart for people. But he loved the Lord more than anything else. His was a life well-lived.
Visitation will be at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, January 21, 2022, at Fellowship Bible Church in Longview, Texas. The funeral service will at 3:00 p.m. immediately after the visitation time. The burial service will be on January 24, 2022, at the Cross Plains Memorial Park Cemetery (time to be determined—please check with Higginbotham Funeral Home).