Obituary of Arthur Coppee

Arthur Coppee passed away peacefully on Friday, May 22, 2020 at the age of 98. The following article was published in the Suburban News in 2014. Arthur has been selected as Wyckoff’s Memorial Day parade grand Marshal. Coppee was born in Prospect Park in 1921 and drafted into the U.S. Army in January 1943. He was ordered to Camp Wheeler, near Macon, Ga., for 14 weeks of basic infantry training. At Camp Wheeler, he qualified with the M1 rifle. Also, he received training with the M1 Bazooka; anti-tank weapon, automatic rifle, the Browning 1919 medium machine gun and hand grenades. He underwent training on the combat course and the street combat program. From Camp Wheeler, Coppee was ordered to Camp Belle Meade, Md., one of the Army’s infantry staging locations before personnel were shipped overseas as replacements for combat losses. From Belle Meade, was shipped to Casablanca in Morocco. In January 1944, he participated in Operation Shingle, the amphibious landing near Anzio and Nettuno, Italy, as part of the 3rd Infantry Division, Seventh Army. In Italy, Coppee was awarded the Expert Infantryman Badge and Combat Infantryman Badge. At the conclusion of operations in Italy, his unit was reassigned to France. His military records show participation in the following campaigns: Rome, Arno, Rhineland and central Europe. Coppee earned a Purple Heart, the Distinguished Unit Badge, the Good Conduct Medal, the European African Middle Eastern Medal, the Victory Medal and the French Military Croix de Guerre. Coppee was discharged on Jan. 9, 1946, at Fort Monmouth. He received the lapel button with oak leaf cluster at that time. Arthur’s wife, Marion, passed away in 1986. He has a daughter, Karen Lynn and a son Arthur David, both of whom were educated in Wyckoff and at Ramapo High School. He is also survived by two grandchildren and a great-grandchild.