Leona "Lee" Hanson Coppo- Family Historian

"WRITTEN AND CONTRIBUTED BY DAR HANSON"  on11-3-11 (the anniversary of our Dad Rudy's birthday- he would've been 87 today!)

Here is a picture of Leona (Hanson) Coppo surrounded by her lovely collection of Cambridge glass. As a young woman she was paid for a babysitting job in a piece of original Cambridge and has been hooked ever since. She has written for the Cambridge Glass Magazine, hosted and attended Cambridge Glass Club functions (with her daughter Carol) featuring the pieces in Flint, Michigan. Leona has the gift to make a written text come alive and is in the process of doing her own extensive scrapbooking project for her branch of the Hanson line. We often share photos & information, but best of all the STORIES! Leona has total recall about even the smallest details back when our great grandma Kristina and all those other names, dates and faces we wonder about were alive and we spend hours late at night in that magical space of living history. She is the COOLEST!

   Leona is the daughter of Otto and Pearl Hanson- born in 1920. Though I call her "Auntie", she is my dad Rudy's 1st cousin. She met her husband, Martin Coppo (as many seemed to in Skandia) at Fredricksons post office/general store. Here is my favorite pic of her in their "salad days"- about 1946.

They were married December 17th 1943 at Ypsilanti, Michigan when Martin was home on leave from the Navy (type U.S.S. Pequot in your browser to see an entire web circuitry about that WW2 ship Martin served on) . Leona lived in Ypsi and worked as a civilian for the Army Air Corps at Willow Run where they made the famous B-24 aircraft.
Leonas father was Otto Hanson, b.1891- d.1977 (Otto was Kristina and Pehr's last child- under a year old when his father drowned while working at Lake Superior). Leona's mother was Pearl Robinson b. 1893- d. 1980 (from the reknowned Robinson Family of Skandia)..Leona's Mom Pearl was considered the best cook in Skandia (i can attest to it personally!) & the ultimate homemaker..

LEONA'S BROTHERS

Glen was Leona's brother and Rudy's best friend growing up..Glen married later in life to Lillian Swanson of Skandia- they had no children...her other brother, Bert, married Pat Bradley of Detroit-(they lived in Kristina's old house while Bert built their new one across highway 41 in the 50's- Pat is the one with the chicken recipe in former post). Bert served both in WW2 and Korea- they had one daughter, Pamela..here is a picture of cousins Glen, Bert and my dad Rudy in front of the legendary Donckers Sweet Shop (still there in Marquette!) while Bert was on leave after boot camp about 1941 or 42, yet to see the horrors of war.

According to Leona, her Mom Pearl died at Norlite Nursing Home in Marquette, Michigan. Here is Otto and Pearl's wedding picture in January 1920 (not to be confused with Rudy's wife Pearl!) they were married at Green Bay, Wisconsin when Otto had a job at the Carnation factory there.

Here are each of Pearl's parents, Demmon Robinson b. 1866- d. 1922...and his wife, the legendary Minnie Goodman Robinson b.1872- d. 1945