Obituary of Tom Copeland, 80
Tom Copeland.
Tom Copeland
April 28, 1944 – August 22, 2024
San Luis Obispo, California
– An architect of his community, a titan of his industry, and patriarch of a loving family, Thomas “Tom” Monroe Copeland passed away on August 22nd, 2024. He was 80 years old.
Born on April 28th, 1944, Tom came from humble beginnings in Oakland, California, where his early years were spent alongside his brother, Jim, and his parents, Jack and Thelma Copeland. The Copeland family soon relocated to the Central Coast and planted the roots of what would become a long legacy of business, community development, philanthropy, and family.
Just shy of Tom’s fifteenth birthday, his father suddenly passed away. He and his older brother quickly stepped up in his absence to help their mother run the family business, Copeland’s Fine Shoes. Tom worked shifts throughout high school, supporting his family while also playing receiver for San Luis Obispo High School’s football team, which delivered the town’s second-ever CIF Southern Section title in 1960. These early experiences helped Tom develop the work ethic and community-based ethos that would drive a life of dedication to those around him.
Tom graduated from San Luis Obispo High School in 1962 and went on to attend Coalinga College and San Jose State before returning to the Central Coast to continue in the family business. Through a lifelong partnership with his brother and the early guiding light of their mother, Tom transformed a small family-run shoe store into Copeland Sports, a sporting goods chain spanning over 50 locations in four different states. Avid skiers will also fondly remember their famous Monster Ski Sales up and down California as Copeland’s Sports became a staple for all types of athletes across the West Coast.
In 1976, Tom welcomed his only biological son, John Thomas Copeland, into the world and began the most cherished part of his life: creating family. Ten years later, he met the love of his life, Pamela Joye Taylor, aka his “Pammy.” The two took on the ever-challenging task of raising a blended family: John, and Pam’s two sons, Jonathan and Michael. Together, they would all enjoy years of travel, art, food, sports, and music.
As his family grew and his business interests expanded, Tom returned his focus to the community he lived in and loved. Copeland’s Sports eventually became Copeland’s Properties. In 2001, Tom and Jim sold their sporting goods business to focus solely on real estate development, spearheading projects that would forever change downtown San Luis Obispo.
Together, the two brothers built San Luis Obispo’s Downtown Center, Chinatown, and Court Street and were early investors in projects like Hotel San Luis Obispo, solidifying downtown SLO as the county’s economic and cultural epicenter. Meanwhile, his preservation of historic buildings always reflected a loyalty to the town that helped raise him and his children.
Eventually, entrepreneurship turned to philanthropy as Tom and his wife Pam had the privilege of receding from the daily wheeling and dealing of business and instead focused on family, hobbies, and building up the SLO community he loved for future generations.
After years of personal success, Tom significantly contributed to many organizations and philanthropies. Alongside his wife, Pam, Tom donated to Cal Poly University, which he always believed would be the core of San Luis Obispo’s sustained economic growth. Tom also believed in the importance of not-for-profit community healthcare to help ensure quality healthcare access for future generations. As such, he and Pam worked alongside Jim and Sandy Copeland to support the Central Coast’s only non-profit hospital, French Hospital. Together, they were founding sponsors of French Hospital’s Copeland, Forbes & Rossi Cardiac Care Center, Hearst Cancer Resource Center, and Copeland Health and Education Pavilion. Tom and Pam also supported many beloved community organizations like the Women’s Shelter of SLO/Stand Strong and were early benefactors of the San Luis Obispo Children’s Museum, which his grandkids appreciate to this day.
Throughout his life, Tom also relished the freedom to pursue his personal passions, such as flying planes and playing golf with friends and family. In 1998, he found a convenient intersection of the two in Lake Tahoe’s Lahontan community, where for years, he would fly himself and his loved ones to escape among the pine trees and ski slopes of the Sierra Nevadas. Back home, Cal Poly fans could often find Tom at basketball or baseball games, while members of the San Luis Obispo Country Club could find him teaching his grandkids how to putt, rolling dice with the boys, or sipping a glass of Pinot Noir with Pammy.
Most of all, Tom was the patriarch of a close-knit family that stretched from SLO to NYC. He never missed an opportunity to bring a folding chair to his grandkids’ baseball or soccer games, nor did he ever pass on a chance to see his son John’s art exhibitions, no matter where they were in the world. He mentored his kids across many of their business ventures and ardently supported their ability to chase their passions and create their own families.
Tom was preceded in death by his father (Jack Copeland), mother (Thelma Roselip), stepfather (Bernard Roselip), and brother (Jim Copeland).
He is survived by his wife (Pam Copeland), son (John Copeland), two stepsons (Jono Hicks and Michael Hicks), two daughters-in-law (Stephanie Hicks and Becky Hicks), six beloved and doted on grandchildren (Ollie, August, Charli, Jackson, Reese, and Sunny), sister-in-law (Sandy Copeland) and her three children and their families, brother-in-law and sister-in-law (Michael and Sandy Morris) and their children and families, plus countless friends and business partners, all of whom will forever cherish the time they had with him.
Throughout his life, Tom always chose to care without being asked and was a fierce protector of his family and his community. But that never stopped him from being the fun, light-hearted Grandpa who always managed to win the pool or card game yet still let you keep the bet. He will be remembered for always helping without judgment, supporting without condition, and living without regret.
Tom’s loved ones and the entire Central Coast community would not be the same without his dedication to his business, community, friends, and family. He was a visionary who saw the bigger picture but always remembered the small details. And while many people will remember Mr. Copeland for the name plastered on storefronts and charity plaques, those most impacted by his legacy of life and love will remember him simply as Tom, Tommy, Dad, and Grandpa. He will be sorely missed.
There will be a private celebration of life held for Tom.
Donations honoring Tom Copeland can be made to:
1. Cal Poly SLO Elija J. McCoy African-American Engineering Scholarship: Please send checks payable to the California Community Foundation, memo: McCoy Scholarship Fund, at 221 S. Figueroa St., Suite 400, Los Angeles, CA 90012.
2. Friends of Downtown SLO: Downtown SLO 1135 Chorro Street San Luis Obispo CA 93401 or https://downtownslo.com/donate.
3. Hearst Cancer Research Center: Please send checks payable to French Hospital Medical Center, memo: Hearst Cancer Research, 1911 Johnson Ave., San Luis Obispo, CA, 93401.
From legacy.com.
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