Kevin Wendell Kopp

Kevin Kopp

Kevin Wendell Kopp, age 58, died of urothelial cancer on October 15, 2022.

He was born on April 23,1964 in Pasadena, California, to John and Carol Kopp. When he was three, Kevin’s family moved to Seattle, Washington, where they were joined by Kimberly Joy. His family then moved to Marysville, Washington, followed by a move to Brighton, Colorado. When Kevin was thirteen, they returned to the Seattle area and settled in the south end.

Kevin’s unique giftedness was evident from an early age. In Kindergarten, his teacher noted him to be “a very exuberant, bright boy,” possessing a “great deal of self-confidence and maturity for his age.” She noted that he enjoyed “group participation and sharing,” and while he might at times be a bit “domineering,” he also often showed “a tendency toward creativeness” and an “enthusiasm for all activities”—traits that marked Kevin throughout his lifetime.

He attended Federal Way High School, where he excelled academically, athletically, and socially. It was during these years that Kevin developed a keen interest in both church and youth-camp activities. In his young adulthood, he spent many summers employed at Buck Creek and Soundview as camp counselor. At camp he expertly wielded his myriad skills—as banjo-player, juggler, performer, logistics expert, and all-around fix-it guy—to engage and nurture youth in their relationships with Jesus Christ.

Kevin loved to entertain, whether simply by telling a great story—for which he received recognition in grade school as “Best Storyteller”—or from on or off the stage. He was a part of multiple stage productions, from The Diary of Anne Frank, to Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and The Last Supper. He played a key role as a member of the script-writing team for the Steel Lake Presbyterian Players. And for several summers, he found great joy in volunteering as a stage hand for Creation Northwest, rubbing elbows with world-class musicians in worship of the Creator.

Kevin earned his associate of arts degree from Highline Community College before attending Whitworth College, from which he graduated cum laude in 1986 with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics. While at Whitworth, his enterprising spirit drove him to fashion his own business as “The Button Man,” creating and selling buttons for promotional purposes around campus. He also found employment as manager of the student union building, teacher’s assistant, tutor, and airport shuttle-van driver. When not working, studying, or pranking unsuspecting peers, he DJ’d at the college radio station, KWRS. A devoted volleyball fan, he was also the proud founder and first president of the Whitworth Volleyball Club.

He was a longtime member of Steel Lake Presbyterian Church in Federal Way, and more recently Highlands Community Church in Renton. Well-loved for his energy, organizational skills, and relational flair, Kevin was equally adept at leading teenage boys in small-group Bible studies, running lighting and sound operations backstage, packing trailers for overnight events, and masterminding short-term mission trips to Mexico.

He brought his innumerable skills to a variety of jobs, from Program Assistant at Presbyterian Outdoor Ministries, to warehouse worker at Comcast Cable, and office manager at LSI Logistics. For many years, he served as a volunteer fire fighter, and with the Red Cross, and as an operations coordinator with Washington Search and Rescue. From 2006, he held his self-described “dream job” as regional logistics specialist with the American Red Cross.

Kevin is survived by his father, John Kopp, Auburn, Washington; and sons Trevor and Trent Kopp, Edina, Minnesota. He is preceded in death by his sister, Kimberly, in 2011; and his mother, Carol, in 2015.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, November 12 at 2 p.m. at Highlands Community Church, 3031 NE 10th St., Renton. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the American Red Cross.