Leonard C Coppersmith

Lifespan: 1929-12-22 — 2003-10-21

Summary

Born in Green Bay to Claude J and Marie Ellen (Bodoh) Coppersmith, second child after Dorothy (April 1928). Married Virginia Karen Pokorny on August 28, 1958 in Green Bay — Leonard 28, Virginia 18 (her birthdate was July 14, 1940). They had six children spanning ~1959–1970s. The family was in Chicago by January 1960 when their son Rickie was born there; eventually returned to Green Bay.

Died October 21, 2003 in Green Bay at age 73 — about 18 months after his sister Dorothy (May 2002). Buried in De Pere, Brown County, Wisconsin (likely Mount Calvary, same cemetery as Dorothy). Virginia survived him by 5+ years (d. 2009-02-04, retired from St. Norbert College, buried Lawrence Cemetery).

Relationships

• Parents: Claude J Coppersmith & Marie Ellen (Bodoh) Coppersmith
• Spouse: Virginia Karen (Pokorny) Coppersmith (1940-07-14 – 2009-02-04, m. 1958-08-28, Green Bay) — daughter of George & Josephine Pokorny
• Children (6 — confirmed via Virginia’s 2009 obit + Rickie’s 2012 obit):
  • Leonard Coppersmith Jr.
  • Joseph Coppersmith
  • Rickie L. Coppersmith (1960-01-13, Chicago — 2012-05-04, Green Bay)
  • Tina Coppersmith
  • Karen (Coppersmith) Betts — m. Monty Betts
  • Brenda (Coppersmith) Seroogy — m. Martin Seroogy
• Grandchildren: 10 (per Virginia’s obit, names mostly unrecorded)
• Great-grandchildren: 4+ (per Virginia’s obit)
• Siblings: Dorothy Elaine Coppersmith, Robert Coppersmith (d. 1947 age 11), Ronald “Ronnie” Coppersmith, Roger H. Coppersmith, Florence (Coppersmith) Challe

Cross-line: Pokorny double-marriage

Leonard’s wife Virginia was the sister of Carol Hunsucker, who was the children’s mother for Leonard’s brother Roger H. Coppersmith. Two Coppersmith brothers married two Pokorny sisters. Confirmed via Virginia’s 2009 obit listing Carol Hunsucker among her siblings (also: George Jr, Ralph, Paul, John, Terri, Elaine Harn, Kathy Anderson, Connie Davis, David [deceased]). George and Josephine Pokorny had at least 11 children — a large Czech/Bohemian family in Green Bay.

Sources

• FamilySearch person record (birth, marriage, death, burial details).
• Virginia (Pokorny) Coppersmith obituary, Ryan Funeral Home, De Pere (Feb 2009): https://www.ryanfh.com/obituary/Virginia-Coppersmith — names all 6 children + siblings + retirement from St. Norbert College.
• Rickie L. Coppersmith obituary (May 2012), Green Bay Press-Gazette via legacy.com: https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/greenbaypressgazette/name/rickie-coppersmith-obituary?pid=157479396 — confirms Chicago birth Jan 1960, names Leonard + Virginia as parents.

Research Notes

• Burial in De Pere — same cemetery as Dorothy? (Dorothy buried at Mount Calvary Cemetery, De Pere.) Worth confirming whether Leonard is at Mount Calvary too.
• Virginia Karen Pokorny — Pokorny is a Czech/Bohemian surname, common in the Green Bay area.
• Chicago move: Rickie’s January 1960 Chicago birth implies Leonard + Virginia had moved to Chicago within ~16 months of their August 1958 Green Bay marriage. They later returned (Rickie died in Green Bay 2012, Leonard died in Green Bay 2003). Reason for the Chicago period unknown — job, schooling, military-adjacent? Worth digging.
• The age gap at marriage (Leonard 28, Virginia 18) was substantial. Virginia retired from St. Norbert College — long career there.
• “Tina” in Virginia’s obit vs “Tinia” in Rickie’s obit — likely the same person, spelling drift.
• “Ricky” vs “Rickie L.” spellings inconsistent across sources — Rickie L. is the published obit header so canonical.

Next-session research targets

• Leonard’s full obituary (Oct 2003) — Ryan Funeral Home archives or Green Bay Press-Gazette would confirm middle name, employment history, burial section.
• Why the Chicago period (~1958–at-least-1960) — anything available on Leonard’s WWII/Korea military or trade-school record.
• Children’s birth orders + dates — currently only Rickie (1960) is dated.