Thomas Batsell Coppage

September 16, 1936 – September 22, 2024

Tom started life in Springfield, Missouri in 1936. He was the older brother of Dick, who preceded him in death in 2000. Tom’s parents were Thomas Batsell Coppage, Jr, – a Missouri judge – and Jewell Coppage, née Liepman, a teacher. Tom grew up in Springfield and was educated all the way though Drury College, where he obtained a degree in chemistry. Itching for more than the Ozarks could offer at the time, he joined a cousin living in the big-time town of St. Louis and began a series of jobs as a quality control chemist for the likes of Hunter and Krey in the meat-packing business and at Lever Brothers. Tom was a member of the Missouri National Guard, a poor choice he always said. “If I had enlisted in the Air Guard I would have gone to France for training.” In the regular National Guard, he ruefully recalled his main deployment was to endure the heat and lizards at Fort Hood, Texas. He eventually settled in Richmond Heights in St. Louis County after a brief stint back in Springfield (to his chagrin) to settle a debt with society. Tom also pursued what was to become his true passion: automobile racing. It came about, he always recalled, when he discovered the “miracle of the two-stroke engine.” Tom owned and raced several cars over the years, especially Formula Fords, and took them all over the Midwest. From racing, he developed life-long friendships and for the rest of his life he looked forward to the weekly Racers’ Lunch. In his later years, Tom indulged in an urge to travel, and had many adventures in Newfoundland, Canada, plus Ireland, Iceland, Finland, Germany, Russia, and especially Hawaii. He wrote his own version of the Great American Novel, unpublished, and enjoyed classical music, especially that of Finnish composer Jean Sibelius.  Along the way, he briefly found love with Mary Lee Coppage, née Neill. Tom will be remembered as a fine friend and companion by those who crossed his path. Services will be private.