Tommy Copeland

Interviewed on September 18, 2022

Disclosure: Tommy Copeland is my uncle. He was married to one of my mother’s
sisters for over 50 years.
Tommy was born in 1932 on a truck farm with 7 brothers and 4 sisters in
Neosho, Missouri. In this interview, he discusses many aspects of farm life during the
depression and WWII. They plowed and worked their land with horse drawn equipment,
no tractors. They raised strawberries, tomatoes, beans, cucumbers, and other
vegetables. They sold most of the vegetables to a nearby canning factory. They sold
most of their strawberries by shipping them off in crates. After working in the field all
day, they would go swimming in Buffalo Creek. He shares stories about the games they
played as children and the fun they had without store-bought toys.
In 1950, he married his beautiful wife and moved to Wyandotte, Oklahoma. He
continued farm work and raised his own family. By this time, he did have tractors. His
story is a reflection of the hardships and joys of farm and family life in the mid and late
twentieth century. He will be 90 years old in January. He still drives his tractor around
his farm. Tommy is a man of faith, integrity, and strong character. He has passed
those qualities on to his family and friends.