SALEM – Patricia Copa passed away in a single car accident July 17. She was born on November 4, 1944 in San Mateo, California, the first of six children of Thomas and Anita Murphy. She married George Copa on June 11, 1966 in Excelsior, Minnesota. They raised two children, daughter Kristin and son Vincent. Pat was a devoted mother and grandmother who took pride in watching her children grow and become parents themselves.

Pat grew up in Chanhassen, Minnesota and attended St. John the Baptist Catholic School and Minnetonka High School. She was in 4-H for 12 years and her projects included raising chickens and vegetables. Besides her own prize-winning sewing projects, she helped younger siblings with theirs.

She received her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Home Economics Education and Doctor of Philosophy in Education from the University of Minnesota. She was very proud that she was able to be at home with her children and contribute to their early development while pursuing her advanced educational degrees.

Pat believed in helping people reach their full potential and held a variety of professional educational positions including being on the faculty of the University of Minnesota, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Western Oregon University. She was on the staff of the Minnesota Department of Education, Oregon Department of Education, was Dean at St. Paul Technical College, and principal for one of the first charter career and technical high schools in the nation. Along the way, she served on the staff of the American Vocational Association in Washington, DC where she worked with congressional staff to develop federal legislation for career and technical education across the nation.

Verdant Vistas Pygoras

Birthplace of outstanding registered Pygora fiber goats with stunning fleeces found across the country. Home to the first Predator-Proof enclosure in Oregon.

Perched atop the hills southwest of Salem, Oregon, overlooking the lush Willamette Valley, the Pygora goats of Verdant Vistas flourish on grassy pastures and lots of loving care.  The original herd was established with offspring from the outstanding Pygora farms of Oregon where the breed began in 1978.  Now, kids born at Verdant Vistas frolic and thrive beside their folks and have offspring of their own who continue to improve the outstanding Pygora breed. Their sparkling personalities and silky, lustrous fleeces will win your heart!

Our 2008 kids are now all sold and will soon be heading off to their new homes. We're making a delivery trip between Oregon & Minnesota/Wisconsin this summer (there, a Michigan & an Illinois buyer will take our goats back home with them). A New Yorker will drive to Michigan to pick up her VV buckling. Soon all will be settled in bringing new families much fun and many good times.

She spent the last ten years of her life breeding and raising award-winning Pygora goats. Pat found true personal and professional happiness in the development of her herd at her Verdant Vista Farm. She was able to spend time with animals, who responded to her care not only in quality form and fiber, but in even temperament. She was also able to promote the breed at fairs and festivals, spending countless hours answering questions of the curious and serving as a valuable resource to new owners. Pat enjoyed the community of Pygora goat breeders in the Pacific Northwest and took great pride in working with her fiber from raw form to finished yarn.

Pat relished spending time with her family and all will cherish the memory of her recent trip from Oregon to Minnesota to deliver her goat kids to new homes and visit with old friends and neighbors on the 4th of July. She spent a week of fun with George, Kristin, Vincent, and their families at the family cabin and 4th of July festival. It is one of many warm memories providing comfort in a very difficult time.

Pat is preceded in death by her father, Thomas Edward Murphy. She is survived by husband, George; daughter Kristin and her husband, Philip, with grandchildren Emma and Owen living in Portland, OR; son Vincent and wife, Alicia, with grandchildren Grace and Nathan living in Minnetonka, MN; mother Anita Murphy who was being cared for by Pat in her home; four sisters Mary Lou, Linda, Joanne and Claudia and brother Tom. She will be missed profoundly by family and her many friends.

Please share your messages and memories with her family and friends in the comments stream at The Pat Copa memories page

Remembrances may be made to:
Mercy Corps International (provides humanitarian aid internationally),
Heifer International (provides livestock to needy families internationally)
Wildcat Haven (wildcat rescue in Oregon)
The Nature Conservancy (nature conservancy)

A gathering and memorial service was held on Wednesday, July 23 at the
Mission Mill Museum
1313 Mill Street SE
Salem, OR 97301
(503) 585-7012
Mission Mill Museum

View the Memorial Folder (.doc file).

The goat world cycle has taken another turn. Kids have grown into strong & capable young goats, soon able to leave their moms. See them all on the 2008 Kids page. They chew hungrily on the alfalfa mix hay & pasture grass, devour their special grain cereal, lap up minerals and guzzled pails of water. Moms now enforce strict limits on any and all nursing times. Both boys and girls spend hours rehearsing critical big-goat skills like rearing up and looking strong, butting heads and, yes, more than a little mounting.

All this effort tires out both young and old critters alike who are often found clustered in family groups contentedly chewing their yummy cuds or simply sleeping. They don't suspect that this peaceful time will soon be spoiled by the inevitable wearning and kid deliveries. All good things must sometime end before new ones can begin!

Read more about Predator-Proof Pens and Verdant Vistas' part. See TV, hear radio and read news features highlighting the project and its importance. (Click picture)

In addition to the general sections, don't miss these special features found throughout our website. . .

It's almost time to take out the truck, put up its sides & top, and make stalls on the inside. It's one of our most favorite times of the year: when our traveling barn brings kids and some oldsters to their new families--and we get to ride along! For a number of summers now, we've taken our Verdant Vistas kids and a select adult goat or two off across the country to such states as: California, Colorado, Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Montana, & Minnesota. This year, we will be meeting folks in Wisconsin who will take their new family members back to Illinois, Michigan and New York. The trip gives us a chance to be with our children right to the end--and, to meet new friends and reconnect with those from past years (we retain visitation rights to all VV offspring, of course). It's great fun! We think the goats, large & small, feel like they've found a fun new barn with lots of sights to watch through its walls. They lie down while we're driving and are up in a second when we stop, chomping at their hay & beguiling their gas station fans. We've stopped at camp grounds at night or motels when the humans need a good bath. It's then that the water & grain come out and all are happy. When we arrive at new homes, people & goats relish in stretching legs & sharing stories.