Harry "Bud" W. Cope

Harry William "Bud" Cope, 92, of Monessen, died Sunday Dec. 20, 2020 in Mount Macrina Manor five days after his wife of 72 years, Mary B. (Fayak) Cope, passed away. He was born on November 3, 1928 in Pricedale, the son of the late Harry Eli Cope and Violet (Cowan) Cope Pearce. Bud was a 1946 graduate of Rostraver High School and attended Rutgers University. He was a member of the Epiphany of Our Lord Church and its Holy Name Society, the National Holy Name Society, Knights of Columbus #954, and the Serra Club. Bud served his country with the U.S. Army in 1947 during peacetime. Bud's career in the wholesale and retail food industry spanned many years. After 25 years as a salesman then General Manager for Potter-McCune Company and its chain of Super Dollar supermarkets and Spee-D Mart convenience stores, he retired and founded his own consulting firm, JMJ Consultants. Besides operating in Pennsylvania, Bud consulted for many wholesale food companies in Colorado and Texas as well as in Canada. He also served as a reclamation director for the Tulsa Community Food Bank in Oklahoma and the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. Early in his career he worked for the G.C. Murphy company and Lance Corporation. In 1980, Bud founded the Saint Dismas Prison Ministry which he saw as the most important endeavor of his professional life. For 35 years he and his team of volunteers took Catholic retreat weekends into state correction institutions. They also provided ministry to those in federal prisons. Operating under the umbrella of the National Holy Name Society, the ministry served the incarcerated in Pennsylvania as well as other states around the nation including California, Louisiana, Florida, and Texas. After each retreat weekend, numerous letters arrived from participants attesting to the goodness the ministry provided them. Nothing however was more important to him than his marriage of 72 years to his wife, Mary Bernadette Fayak Cope. It was love at first sight Bud would say when he spotted Mary across the Italian Hall dance floor in Monessen. Too nervous to ask her to dance on that first occasion, Bud spared not a minute in requesting a dance on the second encounter. And their lifelong love affair began, marrying on November 7, 1948. Children and family became the center of their life together and passing on their great faith and devotion of the Church to their children and grandchildren was of the utmost importance to them. Bud never knew that his beloved wife Mary had died five days before he did. Their family is grateful for their many years of life and love shared with so many. They are sure that Mary and Bud are dancing together once again in heaven. Left to cherish Bud's memory are his children, his daughter Kathleen Cope Heino of Long Branch, three sons, Harry William Cope, Jr. of Brownsville, Richard Michael (Janice) Cope of Indiana, Timothy Patrick (Annette) Cope of Long Branch; fourteen grandchildren, Jennifer (Kevin) Klun, Harry William Cope, III, Danielle (David) Croushore, Amanda (John) Marasti, Cari (Joseph) Eitel, Richard Cope, Lisa Heino, Lindsey (Nathan) Dell, Christina Heino, Timothy (Stephanie) Cope Jr., Stephen (Brittany) Cope, Christopher Cope, Sean Cope, Meghan (Josh) Clark; and by nine great grandchildren. In addition to his parents and his wife, he was preceded in death by his step father, Bertram Pearce, and a grandson Ryan Paul Cope. Private family viewing was held in Dalfonso-Billick Funeral Home Inc. and Cremation Services, 441 Reed Avenue, Monessen, followed by a Funeral Mass in Epiphany of Our Lord Church with Rev. Michael J. Crookston officiating. Interment will be in the Holy Name Cemetery, Monessen. Condolences accepted for the family at www.dalfonso-billick.com.