Melvin Earl Coppinger passed away peacefully in Tyler, Texas, at the Watkins-Logan Texas State Veterans Home, with his son, Earl Ray Coppinger, by his side. He was born on July 18, 1931, in Quinlan, Texas, to Howard Coppinger and Julia Miles. He was the youngest of five boys.
He was preceded in death by his loving wife, Mildred Joyce Coppinger; his grandson, Steven Cox; his parents; and his four brothers.
He is survived by his son, Earl Ray Coppinger and wife Stephanie; daughters Sharon Cox-Phemister and husband David, and Karen Usry; three granddaughters; six great-grandchildren; and four great-great-grandchildren.
Earl was one of a handful of young men drafted directly out of high school into the United States Marine Corps, where he served during the Korean War. He deeply loved his country and the Marines—Semper Fidelis.
Earl and Mildred made their home in Carrollton–Farmers Branch, Texas, where they raised their three children. Together, they opened the first donut shop in Farmers Branch and the first driving school in Carrollton. They also built a successful real estate business.
He was also a man of faith who helped construct Valwood Baptist Church and Bellaire in the 1960s and served as a high school Sunday school teacher at Bellaire, impacting many young lives.
Anyone who knew Earl knew of his passion for the Dallas Cowboys, the Texas Rangers, and car racing—it was hard to say which he loved more. He enjoyed working in his garage, especially under the hood of his favorite muscle cars, as well as yard work and grilling for family gatherings. Later in life, he rebuilt and restored a 1967 Dodge Charger.
Over the last five years, Earl was lovingly cared for by the staff of Watkins-Logan Texas State Veterans Home, as well as his children, granddaughter, and dear family friend, Wendy Rippetoe. Wendy, who had been Mildred’s boss and friend, remained a constant source of support and care.
In his final one month, Heart to Heart Hospice stepped in and provided exceptional care, offering comfort when the family could not be there. The family is deeply grateful for the compassion and dedication shown by all the nurses who cared for Melvin Earl.
A celebration of life will be held at 2:00 p.m., Friday, July 10, 2026 at Turrentine-Jackson-Morrow Funeral Chapel, 2525 Central Expressway North, Allen, Texas 75013. The service will also be live streamed at TJMfuneral.com on Melvin’s obituary page by clicking on the following link: https://celebrationoflife.tv/. After the service, the recorded live stream will be available for viewing at the same link location.
There will not be a public graveside service.