George Leslie Cope, age 61, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, September 14, 2022 around midday in Crane, Missouri. George was born February 6, 1961, in Monett, to Coy and Ilagene (Muse) Cope. He was a 1979 graduate of Galena High School. He married Sandra Lowe in August of 1982 and they had three beautiful daughters Ashley, Morgan, and Cory. George made a living farming on Carney Branch and owning/operating Cope Construction for 15 years.

George was a life-long resident of Carney Branch where, from childhood, he spent many days hunting, farming, fishing, mushroom hunting (from the truck), or doing pretty much anything that put him outside on the farm and around home. This love of the farm was something that he passed on to his children and grandchildren. His daughters were often found squeezed behind his tractor seat during bailing season, asleep with him in a tree stand, or loading wood into the bed of the Scottsdale. His "grandbabies" relished every ghost story and walnut cracking session that Papa could offer.

George was a smoker of meats, often smoking a flock of turkeys for Thanksgiving and delivering to neighbors and friends. He was an amateur drum player and a masterful story teller. If he wasn't at home, George could often be found entertaining the locals at V-Mar, Hudson's, or Hooten's with his latest tall tale. He never met a stranger he couldn't make smile.

George was preceded in death by his mother and father and his two nieces, Leslie Raybourn and Johnna Raybourn. He is survived by his sisters Gaydona Carson, Joy Raybourn, and Betty Dockins, and his brother-in-law Dick Raybourn; along with nine nieces and nephews. He his also survived by his daughter Ashley and her husband Matt Didion, along with their three children Olivia, Cash, and Lyla; his daughter Morgan and her husband Mark Mabry, along with their two children, Lane and Penny; and his daughter Cory and her husband Layton Metcalf, along with their four children Eve, Georgia, Reed, and Clara.

Family, friends, and others whose lives George touched are invited to Stumpff Funeral Home in Crane, Missouri. Visitation will be held 2:00 – 4:00 pm. on Sunday, September 18, 2022. The service will be held at 10:00 am on Monday, September 19, 2022 at Stumpff Funeral Home, Crane, MO with graveside service to follow at Carney Cemetery.