Funeral is set for McHenry County Judge Michael Coppedge after his unexpected death

Funeral arrangements have been made for McHenry County Associate Judge Michael Edward Coppedge, 61, who died Monday after suffering a cardiac arrest in his chambers at the courthouse in Woodstock.

Visitation will be held from 3 to 7:30 p.m. Friday at Davenport Family Funeral Home and Crematory, 419 E. Terra Cotta Ave., Crystal Lake. A service will follow at 7:30 p.m.

Coppedge, of Crystal Lake, was described by colleagues and lawyers who tried cases in front of him as courteous, meticulous and keenly intelligent.

He was a called a brilliant legal mind and hard-working jurist.

On Tuesday, his courtroom, Room 302, was dark and locked, and a sign was placed on the door that read, “Please do not enter until further notice.”

Black ribbon was draped over his name plate on the wall outside the courtroom and tied through its door handles.

On Wednesday, courtroom 302 was open, and Judge James Cowlin was presiding.

As of Wednesday there was not yet a permanent plan in place regarding how Coppedge’s 740 pending cases would be handled, said Dan Wallis, court administrator for the 22nd Judicial Circuit of McHenry County.

“We will cover cases as we need to now,” Wallis said.

Coppedge was born in Joliet on Sept. 25, 1962, to Everett and Janice Coppedge.

He is an alumnus of the University of of St. Francis in Joliet and Northern Illinois University Law School in DeKalb who dedicated his career to the judiciary, cherishing his time and the relationships made through a shared pursuit of justice, according to an online obituary.

“He was the beloved husband of his high school sweetheart, Margaret “Meg” McCloud. Known to his grandchildren as “Grandpa Donut,” Mike delighted in surprising them with donuts on Sunday mornings. His walks and conversations with Meg and his role as a steadfast listener to his son, Matt, showcased his deep love he had for his family,” his obituary said.

On Wednesday, Coppedge’s wife recalled in an interview with the Northwest Herald that the couple “loved to go on our daily walks and talk about what old people talk about,” she said with a laugh as her grandchildren came into her house.

“We always had wonderful conversations, whether we talked about work or whatever, because we were high school sweethearts,” she said. “We were married at 21 and it was almost 40 years of marriage come May. We were best friends.”

She said they enjoyed talking about “the simple things.”

The couple regularly walked together early in the mornings, often before the sun came up when it was peaceful, listening to the hoots from the neighborhood owl and encountering the skunks.

However, on Monday she said her hair was still wet from the shower so she did not join him. When he returned his wife asked how his walk was and replied, “It is a beautiful day.”

In addition to his wife and his mother, he is survived by his son, Matthew (Laurie) Coppedge; grandchildren, Cooper and Madelyn; and sisters, Debbie (Larry) Shreve and Jacque (Phil) Arnold. He was preceded in death by his father.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to a local animal shelter, honoring Coppedge’s love for animals.