Julie Copple

Julie Ann Billings was born on March 9, 1947 to James R. Billings and Dorothy Ann Frasier Billings in St. Louis, MO, and passed away on June 29, 2018 at the Buffett Cancer Center in Omaha, Nebraska.  She was preceded in death by her parents, and Gilbert Rausher, as well as granddaughter Cheyenna Ames, her grandparents, many cousins, a niece, a nephew and many dear friends.

Julie was passionate about her family, teaching, and Missouri NEA leadership.  She taught for 33 years at Kirksville R-3 and 1 ½ years at Truman State University, both in Kirksville, MO.  She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Northeast Missouri State University with a Bachelor of Science in Special Education and a Master’s in Child Psychology.  She was a passionate Democrat, and delegate to conventions in D.C., San Francisco, New Orleans, Orlando, Florida and Minneapolis. She served as chair to the Human Rights, Legislative & Public Relations Committees, Missouri National Caucus and MNEA PAC secretary, and for multiple years on the MNEA Political Action Committee where she received the 1992 Shirley Cromer Leadership Award.  Her philanthropic work included helping put together the first safe house in Kirksville for battered women and work with an ecumenical group to provide emergency relief to the poor.  She is also remembered by her family, to who she was devoted, to have loved her Aunt Edie’s card game, cooking and baking pies, antique shopping, puzzles, family history, the Huskers, the Cardinals, Silver Dollar City, and travelling the world.

She is survived by her beloved husband Bill Copple of Kearney, NE, daughter Leslie Relford Arnall, son-in-law Randall, grandchildren Mariah, Torie, Taryn, and Mason of Springfield, MO; daughter Lynna Relford-Jones, son-in-law Jonathan, grandchildren Kathryn, Matthew Jr., Adealyn and great grandchild Logan; her brother Pastor Daniel and wife Lori Billings of Fargo, ND, and sisters Patricia and husband Matthew Love and Susanna and husband Randall Lynde all of Gillette, WY.  She is also survived by stepdaughters Melissa and husband Steven Menard of Columbia, MO and Alison and husband Joshua Wick of Lincoln, NE, as well as cousins, nieces, nephews and friends.

Brothers and sisters by marriage are Terry and wife Janet Copple of Hansen, NE, Brad and wife Connie Copple of Hastings, NE, Brian Copple and husband Javier of Melbourne, Australia and Janelle Ernst of Hastings, NE.  Her step-grandchildren are Rowan and Gabriel Wick and Caymen and Grace Menard.

Her home congregation was St. Stanislaus Kostka in St. Louis, Father Marek Bozek.  Services will be Saturday, July 14; 1:30 p.m. held at Livingston Butler Volland Funeral Home in Hastings, NE with her brother Daniel Billings delivering the homily. She will be interred at the Blue Valley Cemetery in Ayr, NE.  In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Hope Lodge in Omaha, Nebraska, or CHI Health Good Samaritan in Kearney, Nebraska.