| Mike's Life | Libby's Life |
|---|---|
| February 22, 1940 - Michael Richard Copeland born in Pasadena, California | October 20, 1938 - Elizabeth Read Payne born in Owensboro, Kentucky |
| 1948 - Mike nearly drowns, his life saved by lifeguard Vinnie Hicks at Winnetka, IL beach | |
| 1950 - Mike's family moves to Wilmette, Illinois | |
| September, 1950 - Mike meets Karen Swanson at the First Congregational Church of Wilmette | |
| September, 1954 - Mike attends New Trier High School | July 30, 1955 - Libby's father dies of Parkinson's Disease |
| January, 1956 - Mike's family moves to farm in Wilson, IL, and he attends Libertyville-Fremont High School |
1956 - Libby graduates from Owensboro High School and attends Murray State University |
| Spring, 1958 - Mike and Dick Hill win Conference Tennis Doubles Championship | |
| September, 1958 - Mike graduates from LFHS and attends Coe College, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa | |
| November, 1958 - Mike's family moves from farm to Evanston, Illinois | |
| April, 1959 - Mike meets Janet White (his first romance) at Coe's "Flunk Day" | |
| June-August, 1958 - Mike works as summer camp counselor near Cedar Rapids, visiting Jan on alternate weekends | |
| April, 1959 - Mike leaves Coe, unable to pay his fraternity dues obligation | |
| May, 1959 - Mike gets a temporary(?) job working in the Stockroom of Field Enterprises Educational Corp (FEEC). |
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| August, 1959 - Mike transfers to the Systems Department, soon becoming the youngest working computer programmer in the USA | |
| September, 1962 - Mike meets Libby at a party he and his roommates host in Evanston, followed by 3 or 4 dates | September, 1962 - Libby meets Mike at a party he and his roommates host in Evanston, followed by 3 or 4 dates |
| February, 1963 - Mike joins the Illinois Air National Guard, is sent to "Basic Training" in San Antonio, Texas |
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| March, 1963 - Mike gets "What's going on?" card from Libby Payne and forgoes an off-base activity to write 2500 word reply | |
| August, 1963 - Mike returns to Chicago from Active Duty and immediately starts to (intensely) date Libby. | |
| September, 1963 - Mike proposes to Libby...and she accepts! |
| Mike and Libby's Life Together |
|---|
| May 23, 1964 - Libby and Mike get married, at the First Congregational Church of Wilmette, Illinois. After a reception held in his parents's apartment, they have a short honeymoon in Rockford, Illinois. |
| May 30, 1964 - Mike and Libby first live in a 4th floor walk-up apartment in Evanston, Illinois. |
| Fall, 1965 - Mike starts travelling for FEEC, often going to Phoenix to visit General Electric's computer plant there. He develops fondness for Phoenix. |
| December, 1965 - Libby becomes pregnant, although still working at Clissold Publishing in downtown Chicago. Mike and Libby both commute to their jobs in Chicago. |
| Spring, 1966 - The 4-flight climb to their apartment becomes too arduous for Libby and she retires from Clissold. |
| July 25, 1966 - Regan Elizabeth Copeland and Rebecca Payne Copeland are born...twins being a complete surprise to all. |
| Fall, 1966 - The family moves to a first-floor apartment in downtown Evanston. |
| January 26, 1967 - Chicago is hit with a record-setting blizzard (23" of snow); Mike foolishly (and unnecesssarily) goes to work, finding the whole company (FEEC) shut down. |
| June, 1973 - After 3 years of negotiations with GE/Honeywell, Mike accepts a job offer with Honeywell Information Systems in Phoenix, Arizona, where they purchase a house. |
| July 5, 1973 - The family sells their house in Wilmette and moves to Phoenix, Arizona. Their neighbors across the street are Mike & Bernadette Fallaw. |
| September, 1978 - Mike and Libby join a large tennis club (Top Seed Tennis Club), playing tennis and developing many friendships. |
| August, 1985 - Mike starts teaching Pascal Programming in evenings at Phoenix College. |
| April 4, 1988 - On an afternoon bicycle ride, Mike is hit by a car and is badly injured. Full recovery takes almost 7 years. |
| February 3, 2000 - After working for Honeywell/Bull for 27 years, the dying company's employment dwindled from 2500+ to less than 300, and Mike is laid off. |
| October 8, 2000 - Mike lands a new job at Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Arizona (which is much nearer his home). |
| March 29, 2001 - Libby and Mike sell their house in Phoenix (after 28 years) and move to a 14th floor condo in a downtown high-rise, Regency on Central. |
| Fall, 2001 - Libby joins the Phoenix Country Club (for business reasons), with Mike as "the spouse member". Mike starts playing tennis again, after a 13 year hiatus. |
| July, 2006 - Offered a chance to purchase a penthouse unit, Mike and Libby sell their condo and move to the 22nd floor, facing downtown Phoenix. |
| December 29, 2006 - Mike officially retires from a forgettable and unhappy 6+ years at Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Arizona. |
| August 28, 2008 - Following a cruise vacation in Europe, Regency on Central is hit by a tornado, almost destroying their condo. |
| March, 2010 - Mike starts volunteering at the Phoenix Airport, becoming a Navigator, also putting him in contact with a tennis "drop-in" group at the Phoenix Tennis Center. |
| March 29, 2012 - After playing tennis under adverse conditions, Mike "blacks out" and drives into a large utility pole, destroying his car and incurring a 4 day hospital stay. With his brain injury history, his driver's license is suspended for 6 months. |
| October 23, 2012 - For several reasons, Libby and Mike sell their penthouse condo (needing 2 years to do so) and move to the famed Arizona Biltmore area. |
| July 18, 2018 - Libby's sister, Adelaide Brennan, dies from cancer. Mike, Libby, Regan and Becky attend a memorial for her in New Orleans, one month later. |
| February, 2019 - Although retiring, Libby accepts a large work project in Hawaii, allowing her and Mike a week-long vacation trip. The job takes about 10 months to complete. |
| March, 2020 - The COVID-19 pandemic forces the City of Phoenix to suspend Mike's Navigator program at the airport. The 18 month pause is very difficult for Mike. |
| May, 2021 - Invading her retirement, an old client begs Libby to accept a new job, in Prescott, AZ. Although lucrative, the job requires much work and pressure, and Libby changes her business to only consulting. |
| February 24, 2022 - Afraid of falling in tennis, Libby takes up PickelBall...and promptly falls, breaking both wrists. |
| November 21, 2022 - During a nap after his Navigator shift, Mike experiences 2 Grand Mal seizures and is hospitalized for 3 days. |