DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA – Joan T. (Lussier) Coopee, 84, formerly of Easthampton, Massachusetts, passed away peacefully at home on Monday, November 21, 2022.
Born in Chicopee, MA to Arthur and Jeanette (Peloquin) Lussier, Joan was valedictorian of her graduating class at St. Michael’s High School in 1956. Growing up, she loved to see movies at The Majestic, attend basketball games and dances, and stop for ice cream at Friendly’s—most often in the company of her sister Betty and best friend Theresa Post.
During her full and varied life, Joan excelled in many pursuits, including as a wife, mother, business owner, grandmother, great-grandmother, godmother, aunt, reader, word puzzler, gardener, procedural crime junkie, and sometime-Etsy model.
She married Norman J. Coopee Jr. in 1958 and they shared two businesses, five children, and 59 happy years together. They co-owned and operated Norm’s Coffee Shoppe and Back Room, and Norm’s Classic Autos—two fixtures in the community of Easthampton, MA.
In 1986, Joan and Norm moved to North Brookfield, MA, a lakeside location that became a central gathering place for the entire extended Coopee family and old and new friends throughout the summer and during holidays. After Norman’s death in 2017, Joan began to split her time between Massachusetts and Florida, eventually becoming a full-time Floridian in 2020.
Joan was a prayerful person who possessed a quiet determination and resilience that was an inspiration to those closest to her—except to those who wanted to know the secret ingredient in her famous holiday spritz cookies.
She will be deeply missed by her daughters, Lori St. Germain and her husband Arthur of Dunedin, FL; Holly Joyce and her husband Peter of Oakham, MA; Shari Purrington and her husband Scott of Port St. Lucie, FL; and sons, Norman Coopee III of Austin, TX; and Todd Coopee and his partner, Daniel Léonard, of Prescott, Ontario, Canada.
Joan is also survived by her sister, Betty of Easthampton, MA; sisters-in-law Mary Lou and her husband Jack Zabek; and Trish (Clark) Coopee; seven grandchildren: Alison, Lauren, Gregory, Jake, Nicholas, Hailey, and Timothy; and one great grandchild: Molly Joan.
The family will receive friends on Saturday, January 21, 2023 beginning at 9:30 AM with her funeral Mass at 10 AM in the St John the Baptist Church, 121 Blaine Ave, East Brookfield MA. She will be laid to rest next to her late husband at St. Stanislaus Cemetery in Easthampton at 1 PM on the same day. The Boucher O’Brien Funeral Home was entrusted with her arrangements.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Joan’s name to your local chapter of the American Cancer Society.