It is with great sadness that the Coppenbarger family announces the passing of Mrs. Eva Lavonne Buck Coppenbarger, 92, on Dec. 8, 2023, in Arden, NC. Mrs. Coppenbarger was born Jan. 18, 1931, in Columbus, Kansas, to Oliver Francis and Alpha Augusta Buck. She grew up in Baxter Springs, KS, attending Pittsburg State University as an undergraduate. She received her Master of Music in Piano Performance degree from George Peabody College for Teachers in Nashville, TN, in 1955. Mrs. Coppenbarger started playing piano at age five and by the age of fifteen had a weekly live radio program entitled “The Piano Artistry of Lavonne Buck.”
Mrs. Coppenbarger was hired as an adjunct piano teacher and accompanist in 1965 at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, becoming full-time in 1971, retiring in 1993. She was preceded in death by her husband of 67 years, Roger Dean Coppenbarger. She is survived by her sons Brent (Sonja) of Cleveland, SC; Curt (Katie) of Hudson, WI; Casey (Nancy) of Arden, NC; and grandchildren Sarah, Nate, Ethan, Cole, Rebecca, and William.
