Obituary of James Coppa

James Coppa May 25 1950 – June 9 2020 Loving husband, father, papa, brother, son, uncle and friend. James is survived by his 5 children, 8 grandchildren; two brothers, sister, ex-wife, mother in law, and many nieces, nephews, in laws and friends. James was born to Frank and Evelyn Coppa. He was raised in the Pinole Valley and enjoyed hunting and playing baseball and softball. He met his wife of 20 years and mother of his 5 children at a softball tournament in 1976. James moved to Lake County in the 80s. He was a James of many trades but the most fulfilling and longest lasting job he had was as head janitor at the Riviera elementary school. There as ‘Mr. Coppa’ he impacted many lives during his tenure of over 20 years. In retirement his joy stemmed from his family, especially his grandchildren. In lieu of flowers please make a donation to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. This Guy…this father, this papa, brother, son, uncle, and friend is already so missed. This guy could drive me crazy like no one else! He’d call you and talk for hours for we all know he had the gift of gab. He was a man of many many many words. After that two hour talk thirty seconds after hanging up he would ALWAYS call right back. “Just one more thing…” God I wish he would call now. This guy loved being a Papa, he loved to spoil, drown with sugar, bags of candy, ice cream and cookies at each and every visit. I will never forget how he would stare into the eyes of his grandchildren, how he would lean into them, draw them close and kiss them on the top of their head. When I was on his list, I knew if the kids called him he would pick up he would always pick up. This guy loved the Lord, he was a God fearing man and there is no doubt where he dwells now, without pain or fear smiling down upon us all with his infectious smirk. When he said “don’t drive down here”, he meant please come. The only one I ever let call me Jennifer Jo. The only one who could “handle the truth”. This guy was the guy putting jackets on kids, buying basketballs, mounds of Girl Scout cookies, for all those kids that passed through the school while he was there, they all knew Mr. Coppa. This guy loved coffee, chocolate, Oreos, crisp white tee shirts, mayonnaise (no dad it is not a food group), cael non-filters, the GSW and any and every sport. This guy was stubborn, passionate and loud. We will forever miss his voice, his hugs and his love. Jennifer Jo AKA the first born Dear Dad, Happy Father’s day I can see you now…watching a basketball game with Yasmine, Sampson and big bowl of garden tomatoes on your lap arguing with Jesus about a bad call. Without you, my world is an incredibly smaller and lonelier place. I want to thank you for raising me to be the person I am, for being one of my biggest champions in life, for being honest with me and for showing me that even later in life change is possible. I am very proud of the changes you made recently. I loved seeing your face, hearing your laugh and our long talks about life. Know that you will always be on my mind and that I love you with all of my heart. Daddy’s girl, Cora