{"id":32032,"date":"2026-03-02T16:29:24","date_gmt":"2026-03-02T22:29:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/?p=32032"},"modified":"2026-03-02T16:30:02","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T22:30:02","slug":"michael-l-copass-82-of-dieterich-formerly-of-sullivan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/obits\/32032-michael-l-copass-82-of-dieterich-formerly-of-sullivan\/","title":{"rendered":"Michael L. Copass (82) of Dieterich, formerly of Sullivan"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"pdfprnt-buttons pdfprnt-buttons-post pdfprnt-top-right\"><a href=\"javascript: window.print()\" class=\"pdfprnt-button pdfprnt-button-print\" target=\"_self\" ><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/wp-content\/plugins\/pdf-print\/images\/print.png\" alt=\"image_print\" title=\"Print Content\" \/><span class=\"pdfprnt-button-title pdfprnt-button-print-title\">Print<\/span><\/a><\/div><p>Michael L. Copass, 82, of Dieterich, formerly of Sullivan, IL passed away on Saturday, February 28, 2026, at home surrounded by his loving family.<\/p>\n<p>Funeral services will be held at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, March 6, 2026, at Johnson Funeral Home in Effingham. Visitation will be held from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Friday, March 6, 2026, prior to the service at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers and gifts, memorials may be made to Sacred Heart School. Online condolences may be shared at www.johnsonandsonsfh.com.<\/p>\n<p>Michael was born on February 3, 1944, in Decatur, IL the son of Anthias and Ruby (Bean) Copass. He married Beverly Sanborn on September 24, 1971. Mike loved to spend time with family, and together they shared many hobbies such as golfing, fishing, hunting, dune buggy racing, and dirt bike riding in the Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois. Mike also enjoyed Illini basketball, and in 1994 he retired from Caterpillar, at age 50.<\/p>\n<p>Mike is survived by his wife, Beverly Copass of Dieterich; daughters, Tiffany (Roch) Hartke of Effingham and Michelle Copass of Decatur; grandchildren, Cody (Lia) Hartke of Dieterich and Jordyn (Taylor) Biggs of Effingham; great-grandchildren, Hayden and Elena Hartke, Dottie, Finley, Tucker, and Griffin Biggs; siblings, Rick (Susie) Copass of Mt. Zion and Don (Verna) Hoffman of Mt. Zion; and four-legged companion, Sophie.<\/p>\n<p>He was preceded in death by his parents.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Michael L. Copass, 82, of Dieterich, formerly of Sullivan, IL passed away on Saturday, February 28, 2026, at home surrounded by his loving family. 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