George G. Cope

GREENVILLE—George Gerald “Jerry” Cope, 87, of Greenville, SC, passed away peacefully at home on Friday, June 17, 2022. Born in Detroit, Michigan on December 7, 1934, he was the son of the late Orburn Cope and Pauline Dill Cope. Jerry was a graduate of Michigan State University, which is where he met his beloved wife of 60 years, Tanya Johnson. After college, he served for 2 years in the U.S. Army, earning the rank of First Lieutenant. He worked in sales and marketing at IBM for 18 years, including as a Branch Manager in Greenville, S.C. That’s when he first fell in love with Greenville! He served as VP of Membership and on the Board of Directors of the Greenville Chamber of Commerce. He was also VP of the Greenville Little Theater. After IBM, he became VP of Marketing at Remington Rand in Princeton, NJ. He moved back to Greenville to start his own business, Carolina Office Automation. In retirement, he worked for the S.C. Department of Commerce, promoting business expansion in S.C. Jerry was a great salesman and a smart businessman. He was also a lot of fun! He loved boating and our annual family beach vacations. We hope heaven has football, a bookie, and vodka! He is survived by his daughters, Cindy Tanico (Jimmy), and Leah Hollingsworth (Tommy), and by his sisters, Janeen Cope and Vicki Cope. He is also survived by 3 grandchildren: Lily Tanico (Joe), Harrison Tanico, and Thomas Hollingsworth. Jerry was able to stay in his home for his final years, which was made possible by the loving care of caregivers Jeanie Hamby and Dan Robertson; and especially Penny Pryor, who was with us for 7 years caring for first Jerry’s beloved wife Tanya, and then for him. She has been our rock during these years and his final days. The family will receive friends on Monday, June 27, 2022, from 5:00 to 7:00 pm at the home of Tommy and Leah Hollingsworth, 6101 Hampton Ridge Rd, Columbia, SC 29209. A graveside service will be held at 11:00 am Tuesday, June 28, 2022, at Greenlawn Memorial Park, 845 Leesburg Road, Columbia, SC 29209, with the Reverend Smoke Kanipe officiating. Temples Halloran Funeral Home, 5400 Bush River Road, Columbia, SC 29212 is assisting the family. Memorial donations can be made to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, Grand Central St., PO Box 4777, New York, NY 10163, or the Alzheimer’s Association, 140 Stoneridge Drive, Suite 210, Columbia, SC 29210.