Earl Antrim Kopp, 90, of Harveyville, Kansas died Saturday, November 22, 2025 in his home surrounded by family.
He was born July 11, 1935 in Harveyville, Kansas the son of Walter C. Kopp and Ethel E. (Hendrickson) Kopp. He graduated from Harveyville High School with the class of 1953, where he was a football player.
On February 13, 1955, Earl was united in marriage to Dorothy G. Reed in Harveyville, Kansas. They celebrated 70 years of loving marriage earlier this year.
Earl began working at Thompson’s Hardware in Topeka, Kansas, where he and Dorothy lived for a time. They then moved to Wichita, Kansas and Earl began work as a truck driver for various companies, including ABF, Roadway, and Middlewest. They lived in Wichita for 12 years before moving back to Harveyville in 1977. Earl had a myriad of jobs, including owning a gas station in Harveyville and a pallet business, which the whole family helped with. Earl worked until he was 85 years old, and was known for keeping busy and not having much downtime.
Family was very important to Earl. Everyone would go to Earl and Dorothy’s house for every holiday, including every grandchild, great-grandchild, and whoever else happened to stop by that year. You always knew you were welcomed and loved at their house. Earl and his family would go on vacation every year, some of the trips being entirely spontaneous. One of those spontaneous roadtrips was to Mexico over a weekend. Earl loved all aspects of baseball, including playing, watching, and umpiring. He played on a men’s fastpitch softball league for many years. He loved the Kansas City Royals, and could either be found watching the games at home or at Kauffman Stadium, cheering them on in person. Earl and Dorothy would travel to watch their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren playing their various sports. He was also an avid bowler. Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, there would almost always be homemade hand-cranked ice cream in the Kopp household. Earl had a huge sense of humor, but he was always there to give his shirt off his back to those in need.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Walter and Ethel Kopp; three brothers, Gerald Kopp, Robert Kopp, and Richard Kopp; a sister, Jeanne Ecklund; a niece, Charlis Thompson; and a nephew, Doug Ecklund.
He is survived by his wife, Dorothy Kopp of the home; a daughter, Kindra Thetford and her husband, Willie, of Harveyville, KS; two sons, Jeffrey Kopp of Harveyville, KS and Darin Kopp of Harveyville, KS; four grandchildren, April Eagan and her husband, Spencer, of Overland Park, KS, Jason Thetford and his wife, Melissa, of Topeka, KS, Angie Zink and her husband, Ryan, of Ottawa, KS, and Jordan Kopp of Harveyville, KS; eight great-grandchildren, Hunter, Brody, and Adalyn Eagan of Overland Park, KS, JaeLinn and Jacob Thetford and Bailee Spencer May of Topeka, KS, and Piper and Sadie Zink of Ottawa, KS; a nephew, Eric Kopp of Osage City, KS; and four nieces, Zandra Myrick of Topeka, KS, Pamela Brandeburgh of Topeka, KS, Kimberly Kopp Doucette of Mercer Island, WA, and Kristy Sharp of Lawrence, KS.
A Celebration of Life luncheon will be held 1:00 p.m., Saturday, December 6, 2025 at Tallgrass Christian Camp, 11908 Old Log House Rd, Harveyville, KS 66431. A private family inurnment will occur. Memorial contributions may be made to the Harveyville Church of Christ and sent c/o Lamb-Roberts-Price Funeral Home, P.O. Box 194, Burlingame, KS 66413. Condolences may be sent to the family through www.lamb-roberts.com.
