Judith Shoptaugh Mills Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Judith Shoptaugh Mills, 88, passed away June 26, 2022. She was born in Terre Haute, Indiana on October 8, 1933, the daughter of the late Robert James and Virginia Ohm Shoptaugh of Sarasota, Florida. Although born in Indiana, she was raised in Sarasota as her maternal grandparents and parents purchased property in that small but growing Gulf Coast community in the mid 1930s. Her best memories of Indiana were of periodic train trips with her grandfather Herman Ohm to visit with his sister Mamie. As a young girl during the Second World War she helped to collect grease for the war effort (going door to door with her little wagon) and remembered the fuel tankers burning off the coast. She was an exceptional student at Sarasota High School and had fond memories of beach parties (on almost deserted beaches!). Although she had a desire to go to college, this was not supported by her family (unfortunately, it was a different time). After graduation, she worked for a local radio station writing copy and bought her own car! When she was 19, she married Robert Nash Copeland, a member of her high school class. After a few years living in Tampa, they moved to Oak Ridge, TN where she established a home and raised her three sons while helping her husband build a small business. Due to her strong expectations for education, all three of her sons received advanced degrees in engineering, for a grand total of three Masters and two PhDs! In 1974, Judith and Robert separated. A few years later, she met the love of her life Joe Edward Mills and was married to him for thirty-three years until his untimely death in 2009. They shared a love of travel and history. They traveled extensively in the U.S. and Europe including one of the first trips into Russia after the fall of the USSR. Joe was a wonderful photographer, so there is extensive evidence of her travels (but almost none of his!) One of their early trips was to St. Augustine in 1982 and they fell in love with the city. On their second trip to the city in 1983, they purchased their home here and, after some remodeling, relocated to St. Augustine in 1984. She worked as the Spanish Quarter Museum Store Manager for the Historic St. Augustine Preservation Board. After retirement she worked for twelve years as a volunteer at the Cathedral Bell Tower Gift Shop. She followed this with more work as a volunteer at Nombre de Dios Museum. She loved the history of her dear Florida and her St. Augustine home. Visitation will be at Craig Funeral Home in St. Augustine from 5:00 to 7:00PM (with prayer service at 6:00 PM) on Monday, July 11, 2022. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine at 9:00 AM on Tuesday, July 12, 2022 Father Matthew Ibok will officiate at both. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that charitable donations be made in Judith’s memory to either: The Sisters of St. Joseph or St. Augustine Historical Society Library P.O. Box 3506 6 Artillery Lane St. Augustine, FL 32085-3506 St. Augustine, FL 32084. Website: ssjfl.org Website: staughs.com She lost her beloved husband, Joe Edward Mills, in August 2009. She is survived by her three sons, Michael Nash Copeland (Laura) of Nashville, TN; Bruce Robert Copeland (Carolyn) of King George, VA; Anthony Charles Copeland (Ajita) of Santa Monica, CA; her stepson Joseph Gower Mills (Barbara) of Nashville, TN; her three grandchildren Stephen Nash Copeland (Vanna) of Southlake TX; Amy Ruth Copeland of Los Angeles, CA; Benjamin Joseph Copeland of Santa Monica, CA; and her three great-grandchildren, Blair, Sterling, and Bellamy all of Southlake, TX.

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Judith Shoptaugh Mills

October 8, 1933 - June 26, 2022