Edwin Stuart Cope, 87 years old, passed away unexpectedly Sunday, January 9, 2022. Born December 14, 1934, in Oneonta, NY, he was the son of the late Clarence and Elizabeth (Jester) Cope. On January 17, 1959, Edwin married Carol (Bleichwehl) in Milwaukee, WI, and she preceded him in death in 2017. Ed enlisted in the Navy on July 27, 1954 and served 20 years – rising to the rank of Senior Chief Petty officer while serving primarily on the nuclear submarine USS Sam Houston. After retiring from the Navy, Ed brought his family to Kenosha (close to his wife’s hometown of Milwaukee) and took a job as an instructor at Westinghouse Nuclear Training Center. After approximately 10 years of employment, he left Westinghouse and began working as an independent contractor with Commonwealth Edison at the Zion Nuclear Power Plant, where he stayed until the power plant was decommissioned. Ed was exceptionally proud to have served his country, and it was well known to family and close friends that he was very patriotic and always proudly displayed the American flag in front of his home. A man of high character who led by example, Ed was also a “real character.” Most that came to know him never forgot the experience. He was very much a people person and enjoyed getting to know EVERYONE he met. A great conversationalist, he would talk to anyone and everyone and made many friends along the way. To say he had a great sense of humor is not descriptive enough. He would often get himself into crazy situations by not exercising common sense – a fact not lost on his wife Carol and his children. For a man that wrote safety procedures for nuclear power plants during his career, he made some ridiculous blunders…which his children never let him forget - from putting popcorn balls in a Tupperware container in the oven to “warm them up,” to painting his treasured 1963 Plymouth Fury with a Kirby vacuum cleaner because the salesman said he could, by tossing in plastic fruit (given to him by mischievous son Jim) to demonstrate the power of the new Vitamix blender he had just purchased at the State Fair to name just a few…but there were many more! Edwin was an avid Wisconsin sports fan – especially the Green Bay Packers. He spent many hours watching and cheering on the Packers, Brewers, Bucks and the Badgers. However, his love for the Packers exceeded all others. He would watch the game in his basement (affectionately dubbed “the bunker”) and he loved to keep stats while listening to the Packers radio broadcast through his headphones instead of the tv announcers. Due to the 6 second television/radio delay, he would often exclaim YES!!! when the Packers scored a touchdown, thereby ruining the moment for those that weren’t listening along with him to the radio broadcast. Ed also loved tending to his vegetable garden and was very proud of his homemade salsa. He also made some of the best vegetable soup known to man (his soups contained more vegetables than you could ever imagine) and his kids begged him to make another batch every chance they could. He also donated large amounts of his vegetables to the Salvation Army…paying it forward as it were. Tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, onions, beets…he really enjoyed sharing the fruits of his labor. A very spiritual man, Ed enjoyed reading the bible and sharing the word of God – often suggesting certain passages to read or a introducing his family to a certain preacher he found online (or on television) that he felt were exceptional. He taught Sunday School when his children were young and was at peace when the Lord called him home – we should all be so lucky. Ed especially enjoyed cheering for his children and later his grandkids while attending their many activities and he made it very clear that he was their number one fan. He would regale anyone that would listen with how proud he was of his them and their accomplishments. He attended as many of their games, plays, musicals, and concerts as he could and made it a priority to always be there. He also loved family camping trips to various parks in Wisconsin where he would captivate his Grandkids with campfire stories of his run ins with Bigfoot – a gifted storyteller, he would have them on the edge of their seats. Ed used to say goodbye to his family by declaring “Stay number one.” We are a bit lost by his sudden passing, but we’re sure that our memories of the man we called Dad will last for all of our lifetimes…. you’re going to be missed greatly by your entire family…STAY NUMBER ONE!!! He is survived by his children, Jim (Dj), Chris (Berni), Laura (Michael) Schulte, and Amy (Bill) Peter; sisters, Joyce and Doris; grandchildren, Jimmy, Barry, Ryan, McKenzie, Ashley, Alex, Jake, Christian and Olivia; great grandchildren, Parker, Nadia, Gino, Logan, Bridget and Luca; and many other relatives and friends. In addition to his parents and wife, Edwin was preceded in death by his siblings, Harry, Lewis, Sonny, Glenn, Bea, Janet, and Marie; grandson, Bradley; and his beloved dog, Charlie. Visitation will be held from 3:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m., on Saturday, January 15, 2022, at Proko Funeral Home with services commencing at 5:00 p.m. Interment will be private at Southern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Union Grove, WI. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Salvation Army are appreciated.Proko Funeral Home & Crematory5111-60th StreetKenosha, WI 53144Phone: (262) 654-3533Visit & Sign Edwin’sOnline Memorial Book at:www.prokofuneralhome.com