Marie Ellen (Bodoh) Coppersmith

Lifespan: 1906-07-10 — 1998-06-10

Summary

Also appears as Mary in some indices. Full name Marie Ellen Bodoh per FamilySearch marriage record.

Born in Maple Creek, Outagamie County, Wisconsin to John Bodoh (age 25) and Mary Young (age 17). Married Claude J Coppersmith on June 22, 1926 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They had six children: Dorothy, Leonard, Ronald, Roger, Robert, and Florence.

Lived on Point Comfort, Nicolet Drive, Green Bay area. Soft-spoken, mild, gentle. Crocheted afghans and pillows. Watched Dallas, Dynasty, Knots Landing with her daughter Dorothy and sister(?) Aggie during evening hours. Collected cactuses when wintering in Arizona.

Claude developed Huntington’s disease; the family wintered near Benson, Arizona in later years. Claude died there in April 1987. Marie later moved to Oregon to live with her daughter Florence. Died June 10, 1998 in Junction City, Oregon at age 91. Buried at Allouez Catholic Cemetery and Chapel Mausoleum in Green Bay — brought back to Wisconsin alongside Claude.

Appears in a five-generation photograph (~1975) with her mother Mary Young, daughter Dorothy, grandson Keith, and great-grandson Don.

Relationships

• Parents: John Bodoh & Mary Young
• Spouse: Claude J Coppersmith (m. 1926-06-22, Green Bay)
• Children: Dorothy Elaine Coppersmith, Leonard Coppersmith, Ronald “Ronnie” Coppersmith, Roger H. Coppersmith, Robert Coppersmith, Florence (Coppersmith) Challe

Sources

• FamilySearch (marriage record confirms full name Marie Ellen Bodoh).
• Children’s obituaries (Roger 2018, Florence 2020).
• Memoir chapters: “Great-Grandma Coppersmith,” “Grandma’s House on the Bay,” “The Oregon Trip.”

Research Notes

• FamilySearch corrected death date from 1998-07-10 to 1998-06-10 (June, not July).
• Junction City death location aligns with Florence’s church (St. Helen) being there.
• “Great-Aunt Aggie” crocheted with Marie and Dorothy — likely Marie’s sister (a Bodoh), unconfirmed.
• Maple Creek, Outagamie County birthplace places the Bodoh family west of Green Bay, toward Appleton — different area than the Coppersmiths (Brown County/Dyckesville).
• Mary Young was only 17 at Marie’s birth — married very young.