Richard T. "Rick" Kopka

Richard T. (Rick) Kopka, 68, passed away unexpectedly at his home on May 30, 2023. A life-long resident of Toledo, Rick graduated from Roy C. Start High School in 1972 and began a long and successful career serving in various capacities at General Motors Powertrain Toledo before retiring in January 2007 after 33 years of service. Rick described himself in his Facebook profile as “Couch Potato at Happily Retired.” Nevertheless, he was anything but idle! Retirement gave him more time to pursue the things he loved throughout his entire life: running marathons; becoming an expert marksman; riding horses; fly fishing; and daily reading in history (particularly military and English history), literature (particularly Oscar Wilde and Edgar Allan Poe), film, cars, sports, and many other subjects. In all of these pursuits he strove to be the best, and he never failed to achieve excellence. He was a highly ranked marathon runner in the state of Ohio. He honed his skills in skeet shooting to achieve perfect scores. He began horse riding after he retired, jumping his beautiful bay thoroughbred Quinn in many shows and winning ribbons. He regularly took trips all over the country to go fly fishing, and he became professional level at fly tying. Finally, although many genres of music provided the soundtrack for Rick’s life, classical music was his passion. He had a deep knowledge of composers’ lives and work. He fully enjoyed his evenings attending and spending time with his friends in the Toledo Symphony Orchestra. He was a member and an enthusiastic supporter of the Symphony for many years. Rick is survived by his sisters Deborah Kopka and Sharon Lewis; his brother-in-law Dennis Zeisloft; his sister-in-law Susan Kopka; his nephew David E. Lewis; his niece Katherine Devenie; his grand-nieces Caitlyn and Hannah Devenie; his cousins Daniel and Donald Kopka; and his long-time partner and dearest friend Beverly Kayatin. He was preceded in death by his parents Marian and Frederick; his younger brother John; and his brother-in-law David A. Lewis. He will be missed and always loved by the many people whose lives he touched, in so many different areas, in so many ways. A funeral mass will be held June 6, 11:00 AM, at Most Blessed Sacrament Church. An interment service in the Mausoleum of Resurrection Cemetery will immediately follow. A Celebration of Life will be held this summer with the date yet to be determined. Memorial contributions can be made in Rick’s honor to the Toledo Symphony Orchestra.