Raymond Copper

Raymond Elwood Copper of Trappe, MD, affectionately known many as “Goose” and/or “Ray C” was born December 31, 1935, to the late Raymond Copper and Karline Copper   He departed this life on Tuesday, April 9, 2024 at the Mallard Bay Nursing and Rehab in Cambridge, Maryland. He was educated in the Talbot County public school system in Easton, Maryland.

Raymond accepted Christ at an early age. His church membership and spiritual journey included his family history at Union Baptist Church.  He also was a member of Easton Church of God and in 2022 he became a member of Emanual Deliverance Center.

Raymond was formerly employed at The Tidewater Inn & Conference Center at Easton, Maryland for over 55 years where he began as a bellhop, dishwasher, worked as a waiter, sous chef and later promoted as a certified Executive Chef after completing the certification program at the Culinary Institute in Baltimore, Maryland.  Raymond was known for his famed Snapper Soup made with Eastern Shore snapping turtles which was a Copper family recipe, inherited from his grandparents, who used to make turtle pie where he tweaked the recipe, using more herbs and spices. The soup as well as his signature crab cakes, cream of crab soup and succulent crab imperial was enjoyed by thousands of people, including celebrities Bing Crosby, Jackie Gleason, Elizabeth Taylor, Robert Mitchum, Whoopi Goldberg, Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, and Lee Majors just to name a few. 

Raymond was a 2015 recipient of the NAACP Lifetime Achievement Award.  He received a notable recognition in 2006 for "Leading and Influencing others" in Community Programs at Delaware Tech and Community College. He was also honored at the Executive Chefs 2000 award ceremony at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington DC in 1998.  Further, he participated in the "Taste of Talbot " Waterfowl Festival weekend event and was member of the American Culinary Federation, Inc.

He was preceded in death by his son Donnell Redd, both of his brothers, Kenneth “KC” Copper, Charles “Bucky” Copper and two sisters, Lucinda Copper-Hazzard; Mary Ann Copper-Jones. He is survived by: two daughters, Susan Abrams of Dover DE; Kai Terry (Upper Marlboro, MD);  three sons; Kevin Copper; Devin Copper (Denton, MD); Mark Copper (Easton, MD); two sisters Doris Milburne (Richard) (Baltimore, MD); and Carolyn Graves (Earl) (Penns Grove, NJ);  a daughter-in-law Sandra Brice Redd (Easton); grandchildren: Adia, Asia, Shemiah, Avery, Norah, Anika, Tye, Jason, Jazzmin, Karlissa, Marlissa, Kayree, numerous great-grandchildren and a host of nieces and nephews.                                             

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