Beaver Island ArchiveA primary-source archive & encyclopedia45°40′N 85°33′W · Lake Michigan
Search

Person

John H. Coppens

Also CWO John H. Coppens · John Coppens

Draft — sources verified, prose evolving

TypePerson
Born1938-12-08
Died1967-07-01
ErasModern era
On this page
Person
Born
1938-12-08
Died
1967-07-01
Work
Chief Warrant Officer, United States Coast Guard · Chief Boatswain, United States Coast Guard
Spouse
Mae Gallagher
Eras
Modern era
Concepts
maritimeshippingcommunityheritage

Summary

John H. Coppens was a Coast Guard chief warrant officer who, according to a July 1967 retirement notice, enlisted at Charlevoix on December 8, 1938 and spent his first hitch on Beaver Island. His later assignments included the Sundew at Charlevoix, waterfront security at the Palm Beach home of former President John F. Kennedy, and the Naugatuck at Sault Ste. Marie.

Evidence and limits

The dates here bound the service account supplied by the retirement notice, not necessarily Coppens’s full life. The source does not give his service number, complete rank history, exact Beaver Island dates, or personnel-file confirmation of each assignment.

Open questions

  • What was the exact role and date range of Coppens’s first Beaver Island hitch?
  • Can Coast Guard personnel and cutter records document the complete career?
  • What was the service history of the Sundew and Naugatuck assignments?

See also

Kin

This articleJohn H. Coppens1938 – 1967Mae Gallagher
Only relations stated in the sources are drawn; absence means unrecorded, not childless or unmarried.

The dated record

2 dated events · 1938–1967These years on the timeline →

Sources

  1. Forum notice and reproduced funeral obituary report John H. “Jack” Coppens's March 9 death at McLaren Northern Michigan, his Coast Guard career, marriage to Mae Gallagher, and March 15 Charlevoix funeral. The obituary is stronger for death and funeral details; a reply preserves community memories of his Beaver Island and Coast Guard connections.
    forum · www.beaverislandforum.com · 07 · t007243
  2. Reports that Coppens enlisted at Charlevoix on December 8, 1938, spent his first hitch on Beaver Island, served during World War II and at multiple Coast Guard assignments, and retired July 1, 1967.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1967-07_Beaver-Beacon
  3. The held six-page issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms the published notice or report; it does not expand the source-specific identity, event, or outcome claims.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1967-07_Beaver-Beacon
  4. Reports Chief Boatswain John H. Coppens and Mrs. Coppens recently going to Lake Worth Inlet Lifeboat Station. It does not supply an effective date, station record, or complete household identity.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1960-10_Beaver-Beacon
  5. The held three-page issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms the published notice or report; it does not expand the source-specific identity, event, or outcome claims.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1960-10_Beaver-Beacon

Added 1 August 2026 · revised 3 August 2026. Recent changes

Cite this article

Beaver Island Archive, “John H. Coppens”, https://beaverislandarchive.org/people/john-h-coppens/, accessed [date], citing Marie LaFreniere, "Jack Coppens RIP," Beaver Island Forum, March 10–12, 2014. (and 4 further sources listed on the page).

Last revised 2026-08-03. Fill in [date] with the date you read it — this page is static and cannot know that.

BibTeXRIS