Mary Copeland, age 86, of Van Buren, AR (previously Little Rock) transitioned from her earthly home to her eternal heavenly home on November 15, 2020. She was born in Warren, AR on March 28, 1934 to the late Archie L and Maude Matkin Brown.

Mary was very active throughout her life, loving to travel with her many friends, with multiple adventures shared with Ruby Gagliano and Cathy Jenkins. She leaves behind approximately 100 scrapbooks for her family to relive all of her wonderful trips and memories. During her full life, she traveled to every continent except Antartica, and every state except Hawaii. She was always positive, and was described as "Mary Sunshine" by many that met her. Even though her life presented many heartbreaking challenges, she always said "When life sends you lemons, you make lemonade" and that's exactly what she did. She worked for the Arkansas Health Department for many years and actively volunteered for the Arkansas Arts Center, the Arkansas Repertoire Theater, as well as any place she could be of service. She attended Westover Hills Presbyterian Church for many years and was very active in the lives of her children as they grew up, being a Sunday school teacher and girl scout leader, as examples of her activities. As an outstanding seamstress, Mary sewed many of the clothes for herself and her children, as well as making all the curtains in her home. She was very artistic, enjoying floral arranging and refinishing antique furniture. Mary was a member of the Little Rock Civitan Chapter and a local garden club as well as five bridge clubs.  She was passionate and very active in Questers International, an organization dedicated to "preserving the past for the future", researching, learning, and sharing about antiques and historic places. She co-founded the Arkansas Quester Pinnacle Chapter in 1992. One of her favorite preservation projects was the Arkansas Carousel, the restoration of a historic carousel that is currently housed at the Little Rock Zoo. Mary was known as the ultimate hostess, always having luncheons and creating beautiful floral arrangements. She always said that when she joined her sister, Bernice, in heaven, Bernice would grow the flowers and she would arrange them. Mary was such an interesting person, never meeting a stranger, and always sharing wonderful stories from her many life adventures. Anyone who met her left uplifted and smiling, as she constantly shared one of her favorite mottos: "Attitude is more important than aptitude."

She is preceded in death by her parents, her loving in-laws, Drew and Iley Mae Copeland, her adopted mom, Sophia Geib, sisters, Betty, Martha, Bernice, Patty and brother Archie (Gene) of the Brown family and her son-in-law Forrest Bowman. Many of her dearest family and friends who have preceded her in death are reunited with her as heaven has gained another angel.

She is survived by her three loving children, Karen Endel (Rick), Paula Bowman, and Kenny Copeland (Beverly). Affectionately known as "Non" or "Nonnie" she also leaves behind five beautiful granddaughters, the loves of her life, Kimberly Endel, Kathryn Endel Berger (Tyler), Amber Copeland, Kayla Clark, and Mariah Latting. She has one great grandson, Alexander Lamb. She also is survived by her special sister-in-law, Gene Brown, nephews, Ron (Scherrie) and Clark Johnson, and a host of others.

Visitation will be Thursday, November 19 from 10-11 a.m. at Dial and Dudley Funeral Home in Bryant, AR. Celebration of her amazing life will be at 11 a.m. followed by a short, graveside celebration at Pinecrest Cemetery in Bryant.

To sign the Mary Copeland's online guestbook visit www.dialanddudleyfuneralhome.com

Mary always wanted the best for her family and all those she met. Due to the current Covid-19 pandemic health concerns, it is her wish for everyone to be safe and healthy. A virtual Facebook Live (recorded) will be available at www.dialanddudleyfuneralhome.com. for those who would like to attend from a distance or participate at a later time. For those who choose to participate in person, strict physical distancing with everyone required to wear a mask at any time in the building is expected. We please ask that everyone refrain from shaking hands and hugging.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to a cause of your choice, one that will make our earthly world a better place. One of Mary's favorite organizations that continues to do great work "preserving the past for the future" is the Arkansas Quester Pinnacle Chapter, which she helped found in 1992. Information about the Quester Pinnacle Chapter to make donations in memory of Mary Copeland can be found at https://www.arkansasquesters.com/3c-pinnacle-chapter-1219-little-rock.html

To view her slideshow, visit here.