Daniel Thomas Coppoletta, 77, of Cypress, passed away on October 4, 2021. He was born September 17, 1944, in Chicago to the late Louis and June Coppoletta. Dan's passing was also preceded by his brother Lee Coppoletta.

His father Louis, grew up in the Great Depression, he was the son of Sicilian immigrants, a family of eleven. And, it is in this environment Dan was raised. In this large Sicilian Catholic family, he acquired the value of hard work, taking risks, and entrepreneurship.

Dan's father had a large contracting company, and the business would shut down each winter to take a family trip to Florida. During the winter trips to the South, Dan discovered his love for fishing, boating, and water sports.

Dan met Kathy at DePaul University on a blind date. Dan and Kathy immediately fell in love.

After graduating from DePaul University in 1966, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army. He was the number one ROTC cadet at DePaul that year.

That significant year 1966 is when Dan was commissioned, graduated, and married Kathy, beginning their life for the next 55 years.

After serving in the Army, his first job was with Dupont Corporation in Delaware, where he received his training in the flexible food packaging business.

His first daughter Lisa was born in 1968.

His first job was in Dallas, Texas, in 1969, where he worked for several years with Dupont as the sales representative for Texas. He began his love for all things Texas.

Kara, his second daughter, was born in 1970 in Dallas.

The young family eventually moved to Houston.  After several decades in the flexible packaging business, he took a considerable risk, opened his own packaging sales company. He had suppliers and customers all over the world.

Never one to sit still, he always had multiple projects under his watch. Dan studied and earned his boat captain license. Dan decided to take another risk and start a deep-sea fishing charter business participating in numerous fishing tournaments.

He still made time for his outdoor passions and traveled on big game hunts to Alaska, Canada, Montana, and duck and bird hunts as far away as England.

Life changed, and Dan and Kathy purchased a ranch in Cat Spring, Texas. He never stopped learning new skills. He bred longhorns, raised goats, and enjoyed trail rides and his horses - living his dream.

Their ranch was a family gathering place and to pass on his love for the outdoors to grandchildren. All the while, Dan was still running his company.

In the end, as his health began to decline, his beloved dog Mac trained to herd cattle, became a service dog herding his wheelchair and never leaving his side. Dan loved life to the fullest in every challenge and was an eternal optimist.

Dan is survived by his wife, Kathleen Ann Coppoletta; daughters, Lisa Marie Coppoletta and Kara Coppoletta Smart and her husband, Bill Smart. And his grandchildren, Nicholas Smart, Lauren Smart, and Zachary Smart.

Funeral Mass Live Stream Link

Daniel Thomas Coppoletta Funeral Mass