Cecilia (Luley) Colopy was born on May 3, 1903 in Columbus, Ohio. She was married to Leo Colopy, a Zanesville, Ohio, farmer and widower. “It was love at first sight,” recalled Cecilia when she was giving an interview to the local paper to honor her 100th birthday.
Leo had a son when he and Cecilia married. They had two more children together. Cecilia was a 70-year member of Johnstown’s Church of the Ascension. Leo died in 1957. Cecilia passed away October 2007, at the age of 104.
Cecilia grew up in Columbus, Ohio, along with her identical twin sister and an older brother and sister. During her younger days, she and her twin sister amused themselves by causing identity mix-ups for family, the nuns at Holy Cross High School, and even some of the boys they dated.
Upon graduating from Holy Cross, Cecilia and her sister attended Sacred Heart Business School. After graduation, Cecilia worked for a plumbing company, but soon went to work for the Whistle Soft Drink Company and then the Internal Revenue Service before marrying Leo and moving to their 160-acre Croton, Ohio farm in 1931.
Cecilia said adjusting to farm life after growing up in the city was more fun than hardship. Her personal project on the farm was raising turkeys. There were so many customers during the holiday season she couldn’t keep up with the demand. The Colopy family devoted many years to their farm.
She celebrated her 100th birthday in 2003. Cecilia claimed an achievement just about anyone might envy. She said there was absolutely nothing she wanted to do in life that she had not done.
Her daughter shared with me that she never knew her mother to be without her Miraculous Medal attached to her clothing no matter where she was going. And her rosary was always within reach. After Cecilia developed macular degeneration, the one thing she could do each day was say the rosary.
The Association of the Miraculous Medal was blessed to have Cecilia as a member for over 30 years. And she kindly remembered the Association with a gift from her estate.
If you do not have a will, now is the time to write one. More than half of all adult Americans die without a will. Only with a will are you assured of an orderly distribution of the assets that you have worked hard to accumulate throughout your lifetime. The more you know about the benefits of a will, the sooner you will want to prepare your own.
Begin the process by contacting our Planned Giving Coordinator and request our free brochure “What Do You Know About Wills?”
Learn how you can become a member of Mary’s Legacy Society by remembering our Lady’s Association in your will. Or contact our Planned Giving Coordinator for more information about planning your estate.
And please consider making a gift to the Association of the Miraculous Medal in your will—just as Cecilia did.
