Debra Anne Copley

Debra Copley, 65, passed away Thursday, September 26, 2024 after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage on Sunday afternoon, September 22, 2024.   In Debra’s final act of generosity, she was kept on life support while the physicians and staff located recipients and made arrangements for her gift of organs and tissues. This was in accordance with her wishes, with the hope she could improve the lives of others as she had strived to do throughout her life.

Born in 1959, Debra was adopted by Master Chief Petty Officer Fred Hughes and his wife, Carolyn, from a Roman Catholic orphanage in Hull, Ottawa, Canada when she was three months old.  Her father joined the US State Department shortly after retiring from the US Navy, and Debra spent her early years growing up in Italy, Ethiopia and Morocco.  Upon finishing high school in Northern Virginia, Debra earned both Bachelor and Master of Commerce degrees at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.

Early in her career, in 1981, she joined the Big Eight accounting firm, Price Waterhouse, in Richmond, Virginia and later transferred to Nashville, Tennessee.  She subsequently left the firm to become the chief accounting officer of a Fortune 500 retail company headquartered in Tennessee.

In 1992 Debra married John Copley and moved with him to Dallas, Texas where the couple raised two sons, Paul and John (Jack) Copley.  She decided to leave her professional career behind to become a fulltime mother to her family.

She became deeply involved in Scouting America when her sons joined Cub Scouts, serving as Den Leader for each.  Debra remained active in Scouting even after her sons aged out of the program as Eagle Scouts.  She ultimately rose to Advancement Chair of the Circle Ten Council Executive Committee helping over 700 Scouts achieve the rank of Eagle, Scouting’s highest rank, in each of the past four years.  She was well known as an ardent champion for young men and women to succeed in their path to Eagle, as well as mentoring other adult leaders in support of Scouting youth.

In addition to Scouting, Debra was active in many other organizations, including Christ Church Plano, the PTA, Young Men’s Service League and president of her community homeowners’ association.

In her free time, Debra became an accomplished Scuba diver, exploring undersea life around the world from the Caribbean to Indonesia with her husband, John and their sons. She also embarked on many other adventures including visiting Yellowstone Park in winter, spotting grizzly bears in Montana, black bears in Virginia, polar bears in Manitoba, Komodo dragons in Indonesia and diving with sea lions and whale sharks in the Sea of Cortez.

Debra also enjoyed knitting and fashioned herself as an avid amateur photographer.

Debra is survived by her husband, John Copley, her two sons, Paul and Jack, and her brother, Mark Hughes of Virginia.

Debra’s life will be celebrated in a memorial service at Christ Church Plano at 11:00 a.m., Tuesday, October 29, 2024.

In accordance with the family’s wishes, you are asked to make memorial gifts to the Colorado School of Mines at: https://weare.mines.edu/s/840/19/home.aspx#gsc.tab=0 , the North Texas Food Pantry at: https://ntfb.org/ , and/or Circle Ten Council, Boy Scouts of America at: https://c10bsa.org/ in lieu of flowers.