Lucille "Tootsie" Koopman

Lucille "Tootsie" Koopman, age 87, of Columbus, passed away on March 11, 2026, at The Heritage at Meridian Gardens in Columbus.

Born on October 23, 1938, at home in the Palmer area of rural Nance County, Lucille was the daughter of Walter J. and Mary M. (Dubas) Bosak. Known affectionately as "Tootsie" by family and longtime classmates, she attended rural one-room schoolhouses in Nance County and graduated from Genoa High School in 1955. She worked as a long-distance operator in Lincoln, New Jersey, and Columbus, later serving as an accountant for a tax firm and as an accounts receivable supervisor for Valmont Industries. Upon returning to Columbus, she joined Mid-America Research Chemical Corp. as office manager, retiring in 2003 after 27 years of service. She witnessed and adapted to significant changes in office technology, from manual ledgers and adding machines to computers.

In 1976, she married John R. Koopman. A member of Immanuel Lutheran Church, its evening Guild, and the Eagles Club, Tootsie found joy in sketching, reading, and caring for her pets. In retirement, she and John devoted time to church and community volunteering.

She is survived by her stepchildren, Linda (Albin) Moore of Columbus, John David (Isabel) Koopman of San Francisco, California, and Joan (Bill) Kreifels of Bovey, Minnesota; step-grandchildren, Jessica (Ross) Silverberg of West Linn, Oregon, Jaimie (Jake) Medlin of Safety Harbor, Florida, Allison (Christopher) Weddle of Big Fork, Minnesota, William Kreifels of New York City, and Jordi Koopman of San Francisco, California; step-great-grandchildren, Tessa Jean Weddle, Maddison Weddle, Levi and Layton Weddle, and Jaxson and Joseph Medlin; her sister, Rose Weldon of Gretna; and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, John; her parents; her siblings, Cecelia (Albin) Stetz, Ann (Jack) Hamilton, Emily (Rock) Snyder, Emil (Evelyn) Bosak, and Frank (Della) (Phyllis) Bosak; and her brother-in-law, Jim Weldon.