Martin Copa Jr., 65, Barrows

April 13, 1958 - September 3, 2023

Martin Gerald Copa Junior, age 65 of Barrows, MN, passed away Sunday, September 3rd, 2023, at the St. Cloud Hospital, in St. Cloud, Minnesota.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 A.M. on Monday, September 11 at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Little Falls, MN, with Father Patrick Hoeft officiating. Burial will be in the parish cemetery with a Celebration of Life to follow at Holy Family Catholic Church Belle Prairie. Visitation will be held from 10:00 A.M. until the hour of the service at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church on Monday.

Martin was born on April 13, 1958, in Little Falls, MN, to Martin Senior and Veronica (Schneider) Copa. Martin’s pride and joy were his kids, Mandolin and Matthew. He took every opportunity possible to tell them how proud he was of them and to make sure they knew they were loved. He was always available to listen, to give advice, or to offer fun distractions. He consistently encouraged them to be the best they could be and to dream big, and he fully supported them in every endeavor they would venture out to make. He especially became committed to being present for them after the passing of their Mom Deb in 2021. Martin had many fun life experiences, which contributed to telling THE BEST stories and making friends far and wide. From being the youngest of the six Copa boys on the dairy farm in Little Falls, to working the oil fields in Oklahoma, to bartending, to building fish houses, to crack-sealing and any various job with mechanic work, painting, roofing or laying carpet – he truly was a jack-of-all-trades. He was the type of person who would always go out of his way for someone and would give the shirt off his back if needed. He liked to stay busy and tinker on things, keeping himself from sitting still.

Martin had a knack for making people feel special, helping them feel seen, and for making sure they knew they mattered. He always had a wise crack ready to make people laugh and he created a life that made people grateful to be a part of. Many people would regularly comment on how they are better for knowing him and how he made their lives better. Martin loved living life. He would get so much joy from giving family hayrides, tilling the garden with the tractor, having bonfires, going for 4-wheeler rides, giving rides in the side-by-side and on the motorcycle, or doing whatever he could to enjoy time with his family and friends. In his opinion, the faster things went, the better, and the better the time had, the better the friends he came out with. Martin was also a master griller and cook, and anyone who knew him always looked forward to one of his grilled barbequed pork chops or anything else he prepared, and he always made enough to share.

Most of Martin’s friends would consider him family and he felt the same about them. He was the life of the party and quickly became the center of attention in any room he’d walk into. For so many reasons, he will be greatly missed by so many.

Survivors include his daughter Mandy Copa of Brainerd, son, Matt Copa of Brainerd, brothers George (Dona) Copa of St. Paul, Don Copa of Little Falls, Joe (Marlene) Copa of Little Falls, and significant other Lisa Pendegayosh, countless special nieces and nephews and an innumerable amount of friends he considered like family.