The Latest from WA Legends
Ron Copple (1945-2022)
Ronald L. (Ron) Copple Sr. passed away at his home in Estrella Mountain Ranch, Goodyear, Arizona August 6, 2022. He had just celebrated his 77th birthday.
He was born in Kansas City, Missouri to Grace Snyder Bristow on August 4, 1945.
After graduating from Ruskin High School, he enlisted in the United States Navy and served during the Vietnam War. Following his service to his country, he studied business management at the University of Washington.
His professional career spanned 47 years as an insurance agent. Ron founded Copple Insurance Group in Auburn, Washington in the early 2000s, after leaving Mutual of Omaha. It helped many throughout the community in their search for Medicare coverage and health insurance throughout the years.
Ron was an active volunteer in various sports and civic organizations throughout his lifetime. He started his involvement in youth soccer in the mid-70s and continued through 2006. He was a coach, referee and administrator with Washington State Youth Soccer and best known for organizing the WSYSA Soccer Fair, held annually from 1989 to 2008. He was President of WSYSA from 1999 through 2003. He held various positions within the state as well as the US Youth Soccer Association and Region IV.
Ron was a member of the Auburn Chamber of Commerce for many years and a member of the City of Auburn Planning Commission until 2018. He also participated in political activism within the areas he lived.
Ron is survived by his wife of 32 years, Pam Casbere Copple; son Ronald Copple Jr. (Yvonne), Rochester, Wa.; daughter Dawn Watt (Dan), Puyallup, Wa.; daughter Cari Casbere McLean (Adam), Bonney Lake, Wa.; daughter Jessica Casbere Sabo (Erick), Goodyear, Az.; son Trebor Deeds (Gail), Graham, Wa.; and nine grandchildren and five great grandchildren; brother James Copple (Colleen), Eagle Ridge, Ut.; sister Amarie Russell (Robert), Auburn, Wa.; sister Claudia Miller (Tim), Renton, Wa.; brother Grover Copple, Kent, Wa.; seven nephews and nieces, and 18 great nephews and nieces.
He is preceded in death by his mother Grace Copple and stepfather James E. Copple Sr.
Ron will be missed by so many. He was full of life and love. There will be a Celebration of Life held at a later date and place to be determined. Remembrances can be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.
It Is Finished. For Now.
It’s taken just shy of four years, and we have now crossed the finish line. The WA Legends online museum now spans Washington’s footy history, from 1890 through 2021. In June we added the remaining 14 “missing” years, completing a project that started in the summer of 2018.
We hope you visit often, searching for your favorite feats and teams. However, we also suggest you dive deeper, into past generations, to learn about the key individuals and organizations that cleared the path. We owe so much to their vision, sweat and and lasting contributions.
Our state’s soccer history seems to write a new entry every week, so we will now be updating our museum annually from here forward. We will also continue uploading content to past years. That said, if you believe we’ve missed something, or you have historical photos, videos or artifacts to share, please let us know. Washington’s history is a work in progress.
UPDATE: We are always looking additional historical events and achievements, especially those in eastern Washington and south of Puget Sound. We want our online museum to be representative of your community. You’re invited to submit topics or photos via walegends@gmail.com. Together, let’s make some history.
