Mr. Donald Ansley Cope of Midland, GA and Andalusia, AL died Thursday, September 10, 2026, at Columbus Hospice on Moon Rd.

Mr. Cope was born August 4, 1944, in Andalusia, AL to Donald Hobinson and Mary Evelyn Raley Cope. His grandparents were Charlie Alonzo and Louise Ansley Cope, and Carlton C. and Ella Parker Raley. His sister Norma Jean Cope Gavras preceded him in death. His cousins, for whom he held great affection, included Copes, Maynards, Flournoys, Kings, and Sharpes. Of special significance was his aunt, fellow educator and principal, Miss Lela Cope. He is survived by his spouse, Susanne Koon Cope of Midland; his daughter, Margaret Cope Spadaro of Columbus; his son, Benjamin McLean Ansley Cope (Svetlana) of Dubai, UAE; his grandsons, Mason Spadaro of Columbus and Ace Cope of Dubai; his nephew, Jimmie Gavras of Fairhope, AL; his niece, Yvette Thompson (lee) of Roland, AR; a great nephew, Grayson Gavras; a great niece Mia Gavras and his best friend Herb C. Franks.

Mr. Cope was raised on his family’s farm in the Straughn and Antioch community north of Andalusia. He graduated (salutatorian) from Straughn High School in 1962. In 1965, he graduated summa cum laude in History at Troy State college and entered graduate school at Auburn University. In 1966-67, he taught at Enterprise State Junior College, then returned to Auburn’s History Department in 1967-68 as a teaching graduate assistant. In 1968, he began teaching History and Geography at Columbus College, now Columbus State University, in Columbus, GA. Ini 1970-71, he returned to Auburn as a teaching graduate student. Returning to CSU in 1971, he taught history and geography course, retiring from full-time teaching in June, 2005. He continued teaching as a part-time instructor until 2019. His total teaching career spanned 53 years, from 1966-2019.

During his teaching career, he also worked for several years as a tax mapper for Talbot County, GA.

Beyond his teaching profession and family, Mr. Cope’s interests included hunting, his dogs Joie and Phoebe, books, his family’s farm, and his Piney Woods cattle. He was devoted to reading, to learning, and to nature. His favorite times were spent with his family, on his farm tractor, watching his cattle, or in a deer stand. After retirement, he developed a treasured herd of heritage Piney Woods Cattle and divided his time between Columbus and Covington County. His heart was most content white on the farm. He was a member of the Piney Woods Cattle Breeders Association, the Covington County (AL) Cattlemen’s Association, the Alabama Cattlemen’s Association, the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, and several professional organizations. He was a member of the Mt. Zion (Straughn) United Methodist Church.

Mr. Cope’s greatest treasure in life was his wife, Suzanne.

A memorial celebration service will be held at the end of the year when his son and family will return to the states. It will be held at Mt. Zion Methodist Church in Straughn, AL, on a date to be announced late.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Columbus Hospice at 7020 Moon Rd. Columbus, GA or the late John B. Amos Cancer Center in Columbus, GA.