Jake Copass, 86, cowboy poet, author, storyteller, bit actor, wrangler
tschultz
THOMAS SCHULTZ, NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
June 10, 2006 1:14 AM
William "Jake" Copass, a cowboy poet, storyteller, author and bit actor
who wrangled cattle as a fixture at the Alisal Guest Ranch for nearly
six decades, has died. He was 86.
The square-jawed Mr. Copass, who ran mule trains loaded with U.S. Army
supplies through sections of New Guinea unreachable by jeep during
World War II, died Thursday at his Santa Ynez home from complications
related to leukemia.
Mr. Copass was diagnosed with the ailment in December, and his health
had declined in recent years.
"He was just a gentleman and a cowboy, and was just well-liked by
everybody who ever met him," his daughter, Norma Hansen, said Friday.
"He never met a stranger. He would always have a story or a kind word,
a handshake."
Mr. Copass, who often spoke to schoolchildren about the cowboy way of
life, reveled in Western culture, celebrating its hallmarks and nuances
in words and practice.
He wore an off-white cowboy hat and was a regular at the National
Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, Nev., among other similar events.
Among his exploits, Mr. Copass had bit parts in 20 or so Westerns and
appeared in a Shania Twain music video. He published two books: a 1992
poetry collection titled "It Don't Hurt to Laugh" and a 1997 memoir,
"I'll Be Satisfied."
He made saddles and horseshoes, and in addition to caring for cattle at
the Alisal, he kept his own herds on leased land across sections of
Central California until the mid-1980s.
"He's literally an icon at the Alisal Guest Ranch," said Tony Thompson,
who succeeded Mr. Copass as head wrangler at the 10,000-acre resort
shortly after he left the post in the mid-'90s. "I can't think of
another way to put it. He always will be. When people think of the
Alisal, they think of Jake. It's going to be a tough one to fill with
him gone.
"Jake has forgotten more than I know," Mr. Thompson said. "I've said
that a lot. What little I do know, a lot of it I learned from Jake."
Born in Texas in 1920, Mr. Copass grew up during the Great Depression
"in a house that was built on stilts to keep the rattlesnakes from
coming in," he once said.
He left school after eighth grade to help support a family that
included eight brothers and sisters.
By 16, he was an accomplished horse trainer, according to news
accounts.
During World War II, and starting at age 20, he served with an Army
calvary veterinary corps in the South Pacific, eventually as a staff
sergeant overseeing more than 1,600 horses and mules used to navigate
steep and muddy terrain in a campaign against invading Japanese
soldiers.
Even then, he was writing verse and sending it home in letters.
After his service overseas, Mr. Copass worked at a military rest and
relaxation facility at the Biltmore Hotel in Montecito, which is how he
came to live in Santa Barbara County.
He cared for ponies and horses ridden by service personnel there.
"I was the first to come through that had credentials for running a
stable," he wrote in his autobiography.
"We had 40 head of Army horses, stabled on Cacique Street. One time
they all got loose," he recalled, describing how the creatures hung a
left on State Street and found their way onto Highway 101, long before
it became a freeway. "Forty head of horses trotting across the highway,
and not a one of them got hit."
On a quick trip home to Texas before his Biltmore assignment, Mr.
Copass was introduced to Laverne Cox: "We met and visited a little. A
week later we were married. It was love at first sight."
Ms. Copass died in 1988. The marriage spanned 44 years.
Mr. Copass started work at the Alisal in 1946, the year it opened its
doors as a private retreat. The ranch dating to the early 1800s is 40
miles north of Santa Barbara and 31/2 miles south of Solvang.
Managers there said Friday that Mr. Copass was known to generations of
families who return to the facility year after year. A good deal of his
work involved hosting horseback tours.
"We have been very sensitive to calling longtime guests of the ranch to
let them know Jake was not doing well," said David Lautensack, Alisal
general manager. "So many guests of the Alisal Guest
Ranch wanted to say goodbye to Jake in their own special way. He
elicited that kind of response.
Everybody thought they were Jake's friend. Everybody felt good about
Jake. Everybody felt close to Jake."
His daughter said the family had been inundated with callers in recent
weeks.
Brooks Firestone, 3rd District county supervisor, said Mr. Copass
helped him when he owned cattle.
"He was an outstanding valley citizen, because he was a working,
competent cowboy," Mr. Firestone said. "He, you know, had a whole bunch
of cattle projects all over the place -- a tough cattleman of the old
school."
Mr. Copass is survived by his daughter, of Santa Ynez; his son, Dale
Copass, of Santa Maria; and his brothers, Leon Copass, of Oxnard, and
Ira Copass, of Pahrump, Nev.
A celebration of his life will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday at the Alisal
ranch. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Santa Ynez
Valley Historical Society or to the Santa Barbara Carriage Museum.
e-mail: tsch...@newspress.com
w
tschultz
cavalry veterinary corps in the South Pacific, eventually as a staff
ford
ford
world has truly lost a great American Icon. My wife and i were
fortunate enough to spend a week with Jake and his Daughter Norma in
Prescott,Az. I will truly treasure those days. Walk slow and drink a
lot of water Jake.
Floyd and Lynda Ford
Yuma,Az