Houston Copeland

Houston D. Copeland
ODESSA Houston D. Copeland, 81, passed away Sunday, Jan. 16, 2011, at Medical Center Hospital in Odessa.

He was born May 31, 1929 in Overton County, Tennessee to Hubert Copeland and Trannie Cooper. He spent his first 15 years in the Appalachian Mountains of Tennessee, one of the most impoverished regions of the country.

He wound up in Texas in 1955 and bounced around various towns working different jobs. He opened Odessas first pizza parlor, the Pizza Pantry, in 1965. He began his insurance career with State Farm Insurance in 1967. In 1999, Houston topped State Farm as the leading writer of automobile policies for the nation consistently outselling 16,999 other company agents in the United States and Canada.

In July 2003, Copeland ended his 36year affiliation with State Farm Insurance Co. and he and his wife Lisa opened Houston and Lisa Copeland Insurance Agency.

Survivors include his wife, Lisa Copeland, of Odessa his daughter, Donna Scott and her husband Ronnie Scott, of Odessa his son, Alan Copeland of Midland his stepdaughter Brandi Marquez and her husband Carlos Marquez of Odessa his stepsons, Koree Griffin and Kyle Griffin, both of Odessa his granddaughters, Dana Golden of Houston and Rebecca Alford and her husband Tim Alford of Burleson, Texas his stepgrandson, Braydon Kilgore of Odessa his sisters, Christine Derteen of Arkansas, Mary Goldshot of Indiana, Hannah West of Tennessee, and Betty Gibson of Ohio two brothers, Chet Copeland of Kentucky and Jerry Copeland of Ohio.

Visitation with the family will be 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2011, at Sunset Memorial Funeral Home.

Services will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 20, 2011, at First Baptist Church with Byron McWilliams officiating.

Pallbearers will be John Copeland, Virgil Trower, George Bugg, Guy V. Speck, Gary Dill, Larry Owen and Kyle Griffin.

Visitation

Sunset Memorial Funeral Home
6801 E. Business 20
Odessa, TX  79762
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
67 PM

Service

Funeral

First Baptist Church
709 N. Lee
Odessa, TX  79761
Thursday, January 20, 2011
1:00 PM

Cemetery

Sunset Memorial Gardens
6801 E. Business 20
Odessa, TX  79762