Virginia Montague Copeland, who always went by Jean, went to be with her Lord
and Savior on October 26, 2022. Born on February 9, 1930 in Spartanburg, SC, to
parents Alex Montague Copeland and Mary Virginia Hannon Copeland, Jean grew
up in Spartanburg and graduated from Bob Jones University. After witnessing within
her immediate family severe illnesses and the medical successes that innovative
treatments could produce, she came to Atlanta to study nursing. She received her
Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing from Emory and a Masters in Nursing Administration
from Wayne State University in Detroit, MI. Her professional career was entirely
within the Emory University Health System, where she worked tirelessly to improve
patient care. One example was her co-invention of the single-use alcohol sponge to
prevent cross-contamination, for which a manufacturer paid her $100. Her new ideas
for patient care, organization, and staffing of the hospital led to increasing
responsibility at Emory Hospital and later at Emory’s Wesley Woods Geriatric
Center. She retired in 1995 after a long and important career, which included helping
plan and design the way people with dementia could safely receive acute care when
needed in what was then the newly built Wesley Woods Geriatric Hospital. Tall,
graceful, and gracious, Jean was an insightful and inspiring “servant leader”
professionally and a loyal friend to many in her life.
Jean’s mother was the person who led her daughter to accept Christ as her Savior.
This decision was the most momentous of her life, which has been guided and
illuminated by her deep faith. She was a long-time member of First Alliance and
then First Baptist Church of Atlanta and counted many of its members among her
best friends. She is survived by her sister, Katherine Bruce Montgomery of
Spartanburg, as well as many friends and namesakes, all of whom loved her deeply
and considered Jean to be part of their own families.
A graveside service will be held at Greenlawn Memorial Gardens in Spartanburg,
SC, 1300 Fernwood Glendale Road, Spartanburg, SC 29307, at 11:00a.m on
November 1, 2022 (arrangements through J.F. Floyd Mortuary) with a Memorial
Service in Atlanta at a date to be decided later. In lieu of flowers, the family requests
that memorial gifts go to the Virginia M. Copeland Giving Fund at the National
Christian Foundation, Inc., 11625 Rainwater Drive, Suite 500, Alpharetta, GA
30009
Tuesday, November 1, 2022
Starts at 11:00 am (Eastern time)
Greenlawn Memorial Gardens
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