Memorial
Thomas Jerry Kopecky was born in Marion on February 26, 1937, and he died in Cedar Rapids on October 30, 2021. He was eighty-four.
Tom’s parents were Emma (Tomes) and Jerry Kopecky, Czech immigrants who had four more children after him: George, Dan, Mary Ellen, and Kathleen. The family enjoyed a simple life, first in Marion and then on a farm in Central City. Though his parents spoke English in public, at home they only spoke Czech. So, when Tom started kindergarten, he did not speak English. By the time second grade began, however, he was helping his classmates learn to read. The family eventually moved to Central City, where Tom graduated from high school in 1955 as the class valedictorian.
From 1955 to 1962, Tom attended Iowa State University. He graduated with a degree and a lifelong love of architecture. His time in Ames also made him a diehard fan of the Cyclones, never more so than when they played that other Iowa team.
After he received notice in 1961 that his draft was imminent, Tom enlisted in the Marines. He always felt that his service was a defining experience.
In 1962, Tom’s life changed for the better when his landlord introduced him to another tenant, a beautiful young woman named Sherrie Holub. She said “yes” to his third (and final) proposal, and they were married in Cascade within the year. They had three children - Lisa, Todd, and Jason – to whom Tom was a firm but loving father. He never could talk about them (or, later, their children) without his eyes tearing up.
Tom worked for several architecture firms, with his longest tenure at HLM, in Iowa City. He had major projects at medical centers around the country, including the Mayo Clinic and the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC), where he worked on the Carver Pavilion and the John C. Colloton Pavilion. When he needed treatment for his cancer, Tom returned to UIHC as a patient.
Tom and Sherrie were lucky enough to travel extensively in the U.S. and abroad and even luckier to be blessed by their loving family and friends. Tom was a lifelong space-exploration buff and a big sports fan (as already noted, particularly the Cyclones, but even more so any of the teams his grandchildren played on). He enjoyed sipping a Manhattan around the campfire with anyone who stopped by, and he would offer a gin and tonic when the weather was too warm for a fire. Because his sweet tooth knew what it liked, he could not pass a Dairy Queen without stopping for a cone, nor a cherry pie on the kitchen counter without slicing himself just another “skosh”. There were not many desserts that, in his view, could not be made better by a heap of whipped cream on top.
He will be remembered for his creativity, curiosity, phenomenal hugs, eternal optimism, sunny disposition, and extraordinary decency to and respect for everyone he met. He was solid, steady, and reliable, a gem of a person.
He is survived by his loving wife, Sherrie, and his three children, Lisa (Michael Iaria), Todd (Michele), and Jason (Allison Hunter). His five grandchildren are Sal, Ruby, Jack, Mady, and Cal. He was predeceased by his parents and his sweet brother, Dan.
Visitation will be held this Thursday November 4, 2021, from 4-7, at Cedar Memorial Park Funeral Home and a Memorial service is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. Friday November 5, 2021, at Cedar Memorial Chapel of Memories. A livestream of the funeral service may be accessed on the funeral home website under the obituary for Thomas J. Kopecky, under the video tab starting at 11:00 am on Friday, November 5, 2021. Burial: Cedar Memorial Park Cemetery, with full Military Honors. The address for both is 4200 First Ave NE in Cedar Rapids. The family strongly encourages attendees to wear a mask.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Dennis and Donna Oldorf Hospice House, where he received exceptional care.